


This Marriage Business

by Gayforkurt



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-05-22 12:02:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6078612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gayforkurt/pseuds/Gayforkurt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dr. Rodney McKay, against his deepest wishes, has been roped into the family business  - planning weddings. He is NOT a happy man. John Sheppard, the Air Force's newest poster boy and NASA's newest acquisition, is engaged - and Rodney's firm has been tapped to make all the arrangements.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, folks! This is another foray into the world of McShep. It's extremely AU so drop me a line and let me know if you like it, okay?

Mondays were the worst, Rodney groaned as he sucked down the scalding hot coffee that he swore was keeping him alive. Meetings on the backs of meetings with a roomful of Tutera-wannabes. Ugh!

He stomped his way into his office at BonTemps Events, momentarily pissed off that the plush carpeting prevented him from getting a good, stomping sound effect. How could he best broadcast his ire if everything was hushed? Even the damn doors didn't slam, he grumbled to himself... And why in hell did their business have a frou-frou French name?!

His office was a corner one, which was probably the only good decorating decision his sister, Jeannie, had made. When he'd taken the reins from her nearly a year ago, he had had the entire space redecorated in his more modern, chrome-and-glass aesthetic. Jeannie's idea of chic was tons of floral chintz and gauze and vases of flowers every damned where. Rodney had almost broken out in hives the first time he'd come when she'd called him and twisted his arm to meet with her.

"Madison is almost three and she doesn't recognize me, Mer," she'd whined. "Just do this for me, please - three years, tops!"

Guilt had gnawed at him because Jeannie had really never asked him for anything, ever. She herself had the brains to be a theoretical physicist, had her second degree, even, but had given that up to take over the company from their parents - who'd died in a sailing accident - and to settle down with her English teacher husband.

"Okay, dammit!" Rodney's snarl had been half-hearted because he knew Jeannie had felt bad about laying all this on him.

Now he dumped his satchel on the sleek, over-sized couch and moved behind his desk to stare out at the city skyline. His coffee was still almost too hot but, of course, he didn't notice, his mind jumping ahead to the agendas for the back-to-back meetings coming up.

His head turned to the side when his XO entered the office, her light floral scent preceding her.

Jenn Keller was a bright, beautiful business school graduate who was so scarily efficient, Rodney thought she could balance the city's budget without breaking a sweat. She had a sweet, almost cherubic face and a steel-trap mind, kind of like his sister's.

In fact, Rodney realized Keller was just the kind of person to whom he should be attracted, but no, he leaned the other way. What a damn cliche, he thought: a gay wedding planner. No one thought a gay astrophysicist was funny enough for stand up comedy or stupid rom-coms, thankfully, except for maybe a sitcom here or there. 'Huh,' Rodney huffed as he turned to greet the woman, 'I should turn my life into a screenplay and shop it around.'

"Morning, Keller," he grunted as he slid into the ergonomically perfect chair that had set him back - or, rather, the company - a good couple thousand bucks. "Ready for the inanity?"

Jenny's pretty, pink-lipsticked lips curved in a soft, affectionate smile but, as usual, Rodney didn't notice. Jenn had had feelings for the man even before he had taken over from Jeannie, having known the family for years. Rodney was simply oblivious to her, a situation with which she was not very familiar. After all, hers was the picture that would pop up if you googled smart, hot blonde!

"Good morning, Rodney. Was your weekend good?" She placed her tablet as well as a binder down on the other side of his desk and made herself comfortable in one of the four chairs arrayed there.

Rodney huffed. "Yes, but if I have to write one more letter to that moron editor of that journal, I'm going to lobby for his removal!"

Jenn laughed out loud, genuinely amused by Rodney's rants. He was the most unsuitable person to run a wedding and event-planning business but he was brilliant enough to intrigue her. She really thought he would make the perfect husband and certainly the McKay genes were not to be sneezed at. With his genius genes and her soft, blonde looks, her daughters would go far. Her brains were not inconsiderable but she knew Rodney, even Jeannie, was in a whole different ballpark.

"I can't believe you're still harassing those poor people, Rodney," she chuckled. "It's a good thing you sign those letters MRMcK."

She smirked at him when he turned a low-level glare on her. He leaned back in the chair, his mouth downturned but he shrugged. "Well, I don't want my completely reasonable critiques to come back to the business."

Jenn nodded, her amusement fading. Rodney tried hard to separate the two disparate aspects of his life, and she didn't really blame him. She knew how unhappy he was, having to take a hiatus from his true passion. Still, she wished he wouldn't be so bitter about it. They provided a service that, thankfully for their bottom line, a lot of people appreciated.

The door opened and the other members of the senior staff filed in, greetings murmured and seats taken. She smiled at Elizabeth Weir, the senior accountant and her good friend, before looking back at Rodney expectantly.

Rodney started without any of the usual social niceties like asking after his staff's families or how their weekend had been. They had become used to his particular brand of snark and simply got on with the business at hand.

"Okay, where are we on the website overhaul," he began. "I don't want it too kitschy but I guess it has to appeal to our mostly female clients."

Miko Kusanagi launched into a detailed description of how they were going to present each of the services the company offered. Rodney listened and made notes on his tablet, things he wanted to query and things he wanted to follow up on. 

Jenn recorded everything that was said and made her own notes. As Rodney's XO - or Executive Officer - she was basically his backup brain and sounding board. She literally had to know every aspect of the business in detail.

Next up was Elizabeth, her report short and painfully to the point. She let them know what the intakes and outputs were and projections for a month, six weeks, two months and six months ahead. It was impressive but Rodney demanded perfection from all his people.

The last person to speak was the in-house attorney, Robert Woolsey. The man was as dry as dust but he was as brilliant at his job as Rodney was as a scientist. There was no law, statute, whatever, that Woolsey didn't know, especially pertaining to their business. What many people didn't know and they had found out only by accident, was that the man had a beautiful singing voice. He was opera-level good and as Rodney himself was an excellent pianist, he was reluctantly impressed.

As the short and satisfactorily concise meeting wrapped up, Rodney thanked his people. Their outstanding efficiency actually made the whole situation almost bearable for Rodney. He couldn't imagine what his life would have been like if he'd had to deal with incompetent jackasses every day.

"Thank you. I think we'll survive another week," was how Rodney dismissed them.

He could almost feel the eye rolls but they were too professional to actually do it. The thought made him grin inside. He looked at Jenn and relaxed.

"Could you send in breakfast before I meet with the new girl?"

Jenn did actually roll her eyes and made sure he saw it but she grinned. "Her name is Katie and she's closer to your age, not mine. So - not a girl... And she's been here six weeks by this."

With a flip of her blonde hair she was out of his office before he could respond but Rodney didn't mind. Jenn was a family friend and, therefore, had free rein to sass him occasionally.

Katie Brown was a quietly efficient woman who handled the bookings and dealt with all the florists they used. She was pretty in a sort of self-effacing way and Rodney liked her.

He looked up at a sound and then bookmarked where he was in his notes.

"Good morning, Rodney. One of the girls was coming up with your tray so I decided to save her a trip."

Rodney got up to relieve Katie of the tray and thanked her. He would rather not stop to eat but since he was hypoglycemic, he preferred to kill two birds with one stone.

While he worked his way through the scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and fruit, he listened to Katie's quiet voice as she outlined, briefly, the three bookings they'd received over the weekend. She took up a remote, pointed it at a wall and a panel slid back to reveal a large, flat panel TV. She turned it on and Rodney watched with interest as she played the first recording.

"Okay, first up, we have__"

"Wait," Rodney barked. "Is that a chimp?!"

Katie stifled a chuckle at Rodney's yelp. "Uhm, yes. The bride-to-be is a rather well-known animal behaviorist and TV show host."

Rodney dropped his face in his hand and groaned. "Tell me she isn't actually going to include that animal in her wedding party?"

"Uhm, yes, she says it later on the tape."

Rodney waved a hand wearily for her to continue. He watched to the end and relaxed when he realised that that was the only weird request she'd made.

"At least she isn't going for a jungle theme," Rodney snarked but Katie simply started the next one.

"Okay, we have Ambassador Kinealy, our Consul in Bahrain. He's home on vacation and wants to tie the knot before they return."

Rodney had read of the quiet engagement; considering both bride and groom-to-be were nearing their sixties, Rodney was fairly certain their event was going to be understated and elegant. However, they would have to coordinate with the ambassador's security staff because, these days, one couldn't be too careful.

"Okay," Rodney said as he made a note on his tablet. "We'll have to coordinate with Dex Security on this one."

"I figured as much so I left a message for them to touch base with us around 10," Katie murmured.

"Good," Rodney acknowledged. "Well, who's up finally - and tell me it's not a Kardashian."

Katie actually laughed out loud and turned red when she realised. She sobered slightly but faint dimples remained as she said, "No, not at all. It's upper crust, all the way... An engagement ball to announce the merger of two corporate giants," she said, her tone uncharacteristically snide.

Rodney's eyebrows rose. "Oh?" He looked intrigued and he sat forward, having pushed the breakfast tray aside, and focused on the screen.

Katie said nothing as a photo of a man in uniform appeared and a professional-grade voice-over began.

Rodney sat, stunned, and watched the recording through to the end.

There was silence as Katie clicked the remote and the panel slid back into place, once again concealing the screen.

"Rodney?"

He startled and jerked wide eyes up to her concerned face. "Uh, yes, uhm, okay - so, uh, that's it?"

Katie stared at him but as he didn't look as if he was going to say anything about his odd reaction to the recording, she gathered her things and stood. "Yes, that's the weekend's intake."

Rodney gave her a sickly smile and nodded. "Alright. Well, thank you, Katie."

When the door closed behind her, Rodney loosed a shuddering breath. He had not seen this coming but he should have. He was nothing but a fool, a blind, ever-hopeful fool.

He got up and turned his unseeing gaze to the cityscape.

The man he'd fallen in love with was getting engaged - and they wanted BonTemps to handle it.

Fuck! Unrequited love was such a bitch!

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**One Week Ago:**

John Sheppard stared at his brother and, after seconds of stunned silence, burst into loud, incredulous laughter.

"What?!" His voice was almost a snarl, though, a snarl that matched the glare in his hazel eyes perfectly.

Dave Sheppard squirmed, looked down at the envelope with some rather suggestive photos of John in a clinch with an unnamed man and swallowed. "Well, look at it this way: you either get married or..."

John leapt to his feet, startling his brother into sitting back in his chair. "Or what, huh? A hasty and very quiet discharge for the Force's latest recruiting poster boy?"

He thrust a hand into his usual non-regulation hair - it was so thick it almost resisted his fingers - and stalked over to the floor-to-ceiling window of the office. He had been badly startled to see the glossy photos of him and Rodney just outside the foyer of Rodney's building. He was grateful that the angle of the shot precluded any clear identification of his companion; Rodney would be safe from the tabloids' dubious attention.

Damn! He didn't know if Rodney was out but he, John, as much as he felt chafed by the restrictions placed on him by his affiliation with the military, loved his life. Flying was his life; being a test pilot had sparked his desire to be an astronaut and he still wanted that.

Sheppard Enterprises' head office occupied the whole building but, of course, the CEO had to occupy the penthouse suite. John and David's grandfather had built the business from scratch and been wildly successful. It had been their father, Patrick's marriage into WASP royalty, however, that had seen a stratospheric rise in both the company's fortunes and social standing. There was nothing like marriage to further one's connections and prestige, after all.

Helen Duval, heir to the Duval fortune, had done her duty and presented Patrick with the requisite heir and spare. She had been happy in the beginning, falling in love with her babies and being the perfect wife, mother and hostess. However, her growing sadness and despair at her husband's love for his company over his family had caused a drastic decline in her health. By the time John was eight years old, his beautiful mother had gone into a decline, aided by cirrhosis of the liver, from which she never recovered.

John stared out at the ever-present haze over the city, lit above by harsh California sunlight, and pictured Rodney, Rodney with his bright eyes and sad mouth. John sighed and wished with all his heart that his mother was still alive. He needed her now more than at any other time but he only had fading memories of her. He stiffened when Dave's voice came quietly to him.

"John, you know how the world is as well as I do. No one cares what you do as long as you don't flaunt it, okay?"

John turned around and scoffed bitterly. "Oh, so it's just like back in the old days, you're saying? Just marry some 'suitable' girl and it's okay to fuck guys on the side?"

He ignored Dave's wince and continued his rant. "This is the fucking 21st Century, Dave! No one gives a shit anymore - or they damn well shouldn't!"

He was breathing hard, his temper well and truly lost. 

Dave got up, came around the desk and perched his butt on the edge.

"Dammit, John! Don't be so fucking naive! We don't live private lives, not with our status. Everything we do is scrutinized, whether we like it or not!"

He pushed himself away from the desk and headed over to the drinks cabinet. He took out two of the heavy cut glass tumblers and held one up so John could see it. When John shook his head, Dave went ahead and poured a double for himself.

John turned back to the LA skyline and sighed. He didn't want to get married - certainly not for the sake of appearances - but he also did not want to resign his commission and quit NASA, either.

"Fuck!"

He barely refrained from slamming his fist in the plate glass window but it was a near thing.

Flying had been his passion from before he could walk; his desire to go into space had come years later. He had even worked hard at maths and science subjects, finally getting his Ph.D. in Physics and a M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics.

He had found out he was gay pretty much about the same time he realized he couldn't - or wasn't allowed - to be and stll be part of the military. Despite that, he had had quite a number of hot encounters with guys in the same situation as he, and they had all known that they had to be discreet. He had also dated girls but they mostly didn't do much for him. He was definitely gay.

Then, less than ten years into his test pilot career, his 'star' had risen and his whole life took off in the direction of being the face of the Air Force's recruiting program and then NASA came calling. He had still been pretty discreet with his hook-ups so he was justifiably shocked now and seriously pissed off that, somehow, the tabloid press had gotten wind of his affairs.

Patrick Sheppard was still the chairman of the company's Board of Directors and, being the cold-hearted bastard he had always been, had instructed Dave to bring John to heel and force him to 'clean up his act'. Well, at least he hadn't said 'straighten up and fly right', John scoffed internally.

When they were kids, his father had never seemed to be interested in his sons and their achievements. Dave, older than John by four years, had tried desperately to get their father's attention. It was a futile quest until Dave announced, after acquiring his MBA, that he was going into the family business. Patrick then took him under his wing and groomed him to eventually take over the empire.

As for John, dear dad barely spared him a second thought. Despite the fact that part of the Sheppard empire was based on aeronautics and had several lucrative contracts with the military to develop top secret aircraft, Patrickhad been furious that John preferred flitting about - his words - to coming into the family business.

John sighed, deliberately dropped his shoulders and unclenched his fists. Getting angry was not going to get him out of the situation. He looked over at his brother, who really wasn't his enemy, and gave him a faint, crooked grin.

"So, did the old man have a candidate picked out already?"

Dave rolled his eyes and dropped into his chair. "Yeah, you better believe it."

John lifted a sardonic brow and waited. With a smirk of his own, Dave looked back. "Frances Robichaud-Hansen..."

John stared at him in disbelief and then burst out laughing again. He looked at Dave after nearly a full minute, gurgled, " _Frankie?!_ " and then started laughing again.

Dave narrowed his eyes but continued to sip at his Glenallan. He simply watched his younger brother roll around before him, and waited. "What? What's so funny," he finally asked when John's cackles had tapered off to intermittent snickers.

John wiped his face and then grinned at his clueless brother. "Let me ask you this: has anyone said anything to Frankie as yet?"

Dave shrugged. "According to dad, her parents aren't opposed to the match." That set John off again, blessedly for a shorter span this time.

His smile was positively evil when he mimicked Dave. "'Her parents aren't opposed to the match'." Then he sobered completely, got up and strode briskly to the large office door, his usual slouch in abeyance. "Well, I'm going to have a little chat with Frankie herself, then."

As he flung open the door, Dave got to his feet and called to his brother's back, "John! Dammit, John, don't do anything stupid, now!"

John simply waved him off and allowed the heavy door to shut on his brother's chiding voice.

******

When John stepped out of the huge atrium of the Sheppard building into the bright, pale sunlight, John called Frankie. She had, apparently, been expecting his call; she'd known immediately what he wanted to discuss, of course. She'd shared in his laughter and quickly agreed to meet up later that evening.

Frankie Hansen, as she preferred to be known, was the heir to R-H Technologies' fortune: it was a huge IT firm that handled some of the computing work on various Sheppard Enterprises projects. John and Frankie had met when they were both 18 and trying out their sexual wings.

What had had John laughing himself sick upstairs in Dave's office was that Frankie's ravenous sexual appetites ran on the same track as John's. That is to say, she preferred her own sex. She and John still hooked up once in a while to have some strings-free fun because John still had not met anyone as adventurous as she was in bed. She was the only woman to ever use a strap-on on him and make him come several times in one night. They'd even shared a couple of lovers during some of his longer layovers and John had a definite soft spot for her.

That evening, they dined out and then went dancing, much to the barely restrained glee of the ever-present paparazzi. Frankie's alabaster skin and raven hair cut in her signature Flapper bob were made for the huge spreads that came out the next day, and John didn't look too shabby, either.

After they'd discussed and decided that, yes, they could stomach each other in a modern, very open marriage, they'd decided to inform their waiting families together.

Needless to say, both Patrick Sheppard and William and Johanna Robichaud-Hansen were smug and happy at the impending merger of their families and fortunes. Everyone was happy... well, almost everyone.

Dave Sheppard knew his brother very, very well. When, on the night of the formal announcement at a dinner for the couple at Patrick's estate, his wife Kerry stood watching John and Frankie with a faint, puzzled frown, he knew his instincts were right. In fact, he had not forgotten the slightly malicious tone to John's laughter in Dave's office.

He shrugged, though, as he brought a fresh glass of champagne to his wife. Everything was going smoothly, his dad was happy that they were going to be richer than Croessus and John and Frankie were going to be married sometime within the next few months. What could go wrong?

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**13 months ago:**

'God, I hate schmoozing,' Rodney muttered beneath his breath just before taking a sip of the excellent bourbon the bartender had poured him.

Trying to paste a more pleasant look on his face than was his norm, he felt someone come up beside him. Turning, he realized it was only his closest friend and fellow researcher, Radek.

The vertically-challenged Czech smirked at Rodney. He knew his friend well; there was no way Rodney was actually enjoying the evening. The Canadian scientist was almost a recluse, which was a good thing because he lacked most of the social skills everyone else had mastered by time they had attained their majority.

"Enjoying yourself, Rodney?"

Radek loved to tease the irascible man; he often wondered what he liked about him. Rodney McKay was a genius, that wasn't up for debate. He had two Ph.D.s and the respect of the heads of Research and Development of several government think tanks. His brain seemed to run on high octane fuel while everyone else's was chugging along on low-grade petroleum. Rodney did have a sense of humor but it only came out when he was snarking at some poor minion.

Now he looked at Radek with ire, making his actually quite striking blue eyes brighten even more.

"I will give it 10 - maybe 15 - more minutes. If they don't feed me soon, I'm leaving. A double Ph.D. and I have to turn up in this monkey suit like a performing ape!"

Radek choked back a laugh at the viciously uttered sentiment. He stood back a little and eyed Rodney's tuxedo. He cut quite a nice figure in it and Radek decided to tease him further.

"Did your beautiful sister help you choose this suit? If I were that way inclined, I would do you, my friend." He smirked and raised an eyebrow to await the assured explosion.

A low, sultry voice intervened with: "Well, _I_ am so inclined - and I would definitely do him."

Rodney swung around, ready to blast the intruder - and simply gaped.

From the top of his thick, stand-uppy hair to the smiling green eyes, down to the full, pouty lips and long slender body, the man before Rodney simply oozed sex.

"John Sheppard," the vision said, his voice husky and intimate as he held his hand out to Rodney - who stuttered while grasping it.

"Ugh, ahm, yes, Rodney McKay."

John Sheppard smiled and held onto Rodney's hand, his own warm and dry. "Yes, I think everyone here knows the great Doctor Rodney McKay, Ph.D., Ph.D."

Rodney cursed his fair coloring as his face flushed. He cleared his throat and tried to take his hand back. When Sheppard finally released it, Rodney's brain came back online and he nearly glared at him.

"Wait, 'Sheppard' you said? Not one of the Sheppards of__"

John grinned, suddenly looking boyish in an impish way. "Yeah, one of those Sheppards, unfortunately."

Rodney puffed up and narrowed his eyes at the unfairly good-looking man before him. He was getting up a good head of steam when Radek - wait, he was still here? - slapped him warningly on the arm and stepped from behind Rodney.

He held his hand out to John and introduced himself. "And I'm Radek Zelenka, Colonel Sheppard. A pleasure ..."

He and John shook hands while Rodney spluttered in the background. "'Colonel'? Seriously?" He scoffed and pursed his lips. "Since when does the US military hire billionaire playboys?"

Radek almost choked on the sip he'd just taken and his eyes widened in horror at his friend's ill-considered words.

John's eyes had widened, too, but then they narrowed in what seemed like amused appreciation of Rodney's lack of filter.

"My dad's the billionaire - I'm just a pilot, and wannabe astronaut," he shrugged deprecatingly, his slender shoulders broad in the no doubt bespoke tuxedo jacket. Only a few people knew that John was actually a millionaire himself, thanks to inheriting a good portion of the Duval fortune.

Radek relaxed with a hidden sigh of relief and looked to Rodney for his response. The little Czech's head was turning from one to the other like a spectator at a tennis match, and he was enjoying himself.

The flush had finally receded when Rodney saw Sheppard smile and take a closer step toward him.

Rodney looked puzzled but then John leaned in and, with his lips almost touching Rodney's ear, said: "I meant it before - and I would love to peel you out of that monkey suit... later."

His eyes wide and bluer than ever, Rodney jerked back and, after he looked about furtively, almost whispered, "B-but, what about - you know!" and he flapped a hand frantically up and down at John.

John grinned and raised an eyebrow at the flustered scientist. "D'you mean DADT?"

When Rodney's eyes flicked quickly around the ballroom, he nodded and almost gasped, "Yes, you moron! Your politicians may have repealed it but most of your countrymen are still pretty backward!"

"Hey!" John pouted playfully and, really, a grown man shouldn't look so sexy doing that, Rodney grumped to himself.

Rodney glanced over at a clearly entertained Radek and decided to spread some of his ire. "You started this, you little..."

Radek's hair seemed to frizzle as he stretched himself to his full height, nearly coming up to Rodney's chin. "Do not say it!"

Rodney rolled his eyes and turned back to see Sheppard grinning at him, an anticipatory gleam in his green eyes.

"I have no intention of rolling around with - with__" He stuttered to a halt as he ran out of words and breath because Sheppard - no John - had just licked his lip and was now biting the bottom one between white teeth. When he released the lip, it was moist, redder and plumper than before.

"Oh, come on! That is not fair!" Rodney's voice had gone up an octave and he flushed at the near-screech.

John burst out laughing, genuinely amused by Rodney's antics. Damn if he didn't find the scientist intriguing - and not just because John had noticed from across the room the way Rodney filled out his tuxedo.

His laughter subsided just when dinner was announced and Rodney threw him a glare, grabbed Radek's arm and marched into the huge dining room.

John followed, stifling random chuckles that tried to escape.

The large round, cloth-draped tables all had name tags before each place setting and people milled about to find their seats, conversation muted as the aroma of the food reached them. Never let it be said that scientists were purely cerebral folks, eschewing their baser needs. They fully appreciated good food and fine wine as much as the next man and the cocktail part of the evening had gone on far too long, in Rodney's opinion.

Now he looked around and, when he found his name, was happy to find that Radek was at the same table. He seated himself quite happily, shook out the snowy napkin and draped it across his lap. As usual, he hoped there was a citrus-free option because he was deathly allergic to the stuff.

He looked around and greeted another scientist, an anthropologist who wasn't too stupid; Rodney relaxed as the man greeted him and they chatted briefly. By the time he turned back, though, his left side started to prickle and he tensed.

John grinned as Rodney's bright blue eyes met his and the scientist leaned over to grate: "Are you stalking me, Colonel?"

Rodney would never admit, even under torture, that he was a tad flattered by Sheppard's attention. As it was, however, he didn't want the idiot's handsome head to get any bigger. With that thought uppermost, he threw him an annoyed look and waited.

John chuckled; if Rodney thought he was putting him off, he had another thing coming. 

"Hello, again - and it's only stalking if you're not interested," John husked, his eyes knowing. "Are you playing hard-to-get?"

Radek snorted, clearly amused by their interplay, and leaned forward to look around Rodney to interject, "Yes."

Rodney spun around to skewer his so-called friend. "What? No!" He swung back around to narrow his eyes at Sheppard.

John swallowed the smirk and retreated behind a facade of coolness. "Okay," he drawled, and let his eyes roam around the room as if he'd lost interest in the conversation. "It was worth a try anyway."

The silence that descended on the three was noticeably awkward, although John was the only one who appeared unaware of it.

People drifted over from other tables to talk to him and when he rose to greet an elderly congressman, he caught Rodney eyeing his ass as if he couldn't help himself. John hid the smirk that brought, and told himself that Rodney was worth the wait.

Rodney and Radek gradually relaxed as the dinner progressed and the waiters kept refilling their wine glasses. Eventually, Rodney thawed enough to start a conversation with the other people at the table and tried hard to ignore how annoyingly good-looking John Sheppard was. He did address some of his attention to the pilot, however, even though the warmth in John's eyes threw him a little.

John, for his part, behaved himself and answered all of Rodney's questions without any innuendoes - well, not too many; Rodney just made it too easy for John to get under his skin.

Rodney's color fluctuated the whole time John teased him. John was fascinated by that and once, when he was wondering if Rodney's cock flushed that same, ruddy color, he had to adjust himself discreetly.

Thankfully, the end of the dinner segment came and, as neither Rodney nor Radek was interested in the dancing portion of the evening, they found themselves outside on the wide steps of the hotel with a few other people, waiting for cars to be brought around. 

The two scientists had driven in together so the valet jumped out of Rodney's sleek-looking Volvo XC40 CUV, dashed up the three steps and handed him the key. John was standing one step up and behind him so Rodney turned to him with a nervous air after he nodded to Radek to get in the car.

John nodded in return to Radek's farewell and then looked down into Rodney's light eyes. John smiled, eyes soft, and murmured, "Nice meeting you, Dr. McKay, Ph.D., Ph.D."

Rodney's mouth turned down in a slant and he eyed the tall, slender body before huffing, "I thought test pilots were made of sterner stuff!"

John's eyes widened and then he caught on. He barked a laugh and then shook his head, his look admiring as he took in Rodney, standing there with an air of bravado wreathing around him.

John took one careful step down, glanced around quickly and then moved into Rodney's space. "Well, test pilots are very aware of no-go airspaces, y'know." He grinned as he watched Rodney's pupils dilate. "So, am I cleared for landing?"

Rodney rolled his eyes and bit his lip to hold back the smile that threatened to break free. "Oh, please; you haven't even taken off yet!"

They stood there grinning like fools at each other, and then John, in a move that was hidden by their bodies, took one of Rodney's hands and stroked the palm.

"Yeah, well, I only have a limited time before I have to return to base so I'd like to cut out a couple of steps," and as Rodney opened his mouth to protest, he hurried on: "if you don't mind, that is."

He watched as Rodney's surprisingly long lashes swept down and John knew he had no idea how seductive that look was.

Rodney took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out slowly.

He was bisexual and had never seen the need to hide that fact. Not even his parents' faint air of disappointment could dent his massive ego so he never cared what they - or anyone, for that matter - thought of him. Also, while he had obviously not been hit with the ugly stick, he knew he was no oil painting or pin-up, either. Despite that, he enjoyed a relatively healthy sex life, given that his work, his beloved research, took precedence over everything else.

Now he felt himself flush again at the puzzling but undeniable admiration in Sheppard's gaze and screwed up his courage. _'Okay, Rodney, time to put up or shut up.'_

He smiled at John, enjoying the way the passing headlights occasionally strobed across the other man's beautiful eyes.

"Okay, let's do this." When John's gaze sharpened in what looked annoyingly like triumph, Rodney held up his free hand and smirked. "If you're still interested, call me in two days' time."

He left Sheppard standing there, gaping after him, and then chuckled when he heard a plaintive, "But I don't even have your number!"

Rodney uttered an evil laugh as he got behind the wheel of his silver-gray car. With a wave, he yelled out the window__

"Google me!"

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Present time:**

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Jeannie!"

Rodney's voice was unusually subdued as he stared down at the pale oak of Jeannie's dining table. She couldn't quite recall if she had ever heard her brother sound so defeated and she found she didn't like it.

Madison came dashing into the room as fast as her chubby toddler legs could carry her and she climbed up into her mother's lap. Jeannie absently fed her bits of her homemade carob chip muffin and pondered her brother's problem.

She had had no idea that he had been seeing anyone, much less had fallen in love. Apparently he and the famous Colonel John Sheppard had been having a casual, hook-up kind of relationship for months. Rodney, from what he had just told her, had fallen in love quite inconveniently with what was essentially his 'fuck buddy'. What was also painfully apparent was that Rodney had not said a word about it to the other man, just continued being John's booty call whenever he was on the West Coast.

"How long," she asked Rodney, watching him crumble the muffin before him. That was a telltale sign that her brother was really hurting; food was Rodney's second love.

He shrugged and tried to avoid her piercing gaze. His sister was nearly as smart as he was. Her brain was capable of making intuitive leaps that left people gaping in her wake. She also thought that she was the boss of Rodney, despite being the younger sibling.

"Hmm, about___" He muttered something she couldn't really hear and when she huffed, he snarled, "Okay, over a year!"

Jeannie blinked at him, her eyes wide. Huh. That was not good. Mer having to plan his lover's engagement party - and maybe even his wedding - was going to open up a world of hurt.

"Oh, Mer," she murmured, mindful of little pitchers and big ears. "I don't know what to tell you."

Rodney gave his sister a faint, rueful smile and actually patted her hand, as if she needed the comforting. "Yeah, I know - it sucks."

He had needed to share this with someone and, as much as Radek was his closest friend, this wasn't something he felt he could tell the other scientist.

Madison, her blonde curls gleaming in the bright sunshine streaming through the windows, leaned forward precariously and Jeannie grabbed her to keep her stable. The little girl stuck out her bottom lip and looked at Rodney with big blue eyes.

"Are you sad, Unca Mer?"

The question, uttered in her precise, piping voice, made Rodney smile but he nodded. "Just a little, yes."

He didn't believe in dissembling and thought most grown-ups were idiots for trying to shelter children too much. This world was not always an easy or pretty one and he felt it did kids a disservice to make them think otherwise.

Madison thought about that for all of ten seconds and then held out her chubby arms to her uncle.

Rodney smiled, leaned forward and put his arms around her, enjoying the feel of her warm little body as she dispensed a hug.

When she finally let him go, she informed him: "Mommy said everyone needs a hug sometimes." She looked at him with her mother's eyes and nodded decisively. "I think she is right."

Rodney nodded in turn and said, without any condescension, "I think she's right, too."

Jeannie smiled and got up, settling Madison on her hip, and told Rodney, "Stay here, I'm going to give this one a bath and then put her down."

Rodney nodded and watched them head up the stairs, the two curly blonde heads close as Jeannie carted Madison away.

As he waited for Jeannie to return, he thought back to his and John's first 'date'. He hated thinking of it as a hook-up but, in all honesty, that is what it had been.

The Monday night after the fundraiser, Rodney had answered his door chime to see John standing there. A part of Rodney had told himself that John had just been toying with him.

There he was, however, looking back at Rodney with a faint air of uncertainty about him.

Rodney lifted his chin and tried to look cool, as if the very sight of John in a long-sleeved dark gray Henley and black jeans wasn't making the back of Rodney's knees sweat.

He stepped back and John sauntered past him, a smirk begining to smooth away the uncertainty. "Hey, Rodney."

Rodney closed the door behind him and took a deep breath before turning around.

John watched him carefully. The man before him was a bit of an enigma; one moment he was brash and loud, the next almost tentative.

Rodney blinked and realized he had not actually greeted John as yet. He lifted his chin and -

John suddenly surged against him, pushing Rodney's sturdy body back against the door, and kissed him.

Rodney's hands flailed before they came to rest on John's slender hips, a soft moan escaping him. John's mouth was hot and sweet, as if he'd just eaten a candy, and Rodney sucked on his tongue hungrily.

John wrenched back his head and stared at Rodney, his chest heaving.

"God," he grasped. "I've been wanting to do that since Saturday night!"

Rodney stared at him, wide-eyed and stunned. "R-really?"

As John nodded, the green eyes staring at Rodney's lips, other things became apparent and Rodney flushed. John was hard against him and, while Rodney wasn't fully hard yet, it would only be a matter of minutes before he caught up.

He moved John away from him and dropped his head, aware of how red his face was but inordinately pleased that this smoking hot guy wanted him.

"Uh, I think - uhm, d'you want something to - ah, drink?"

Rodney closed his eyes as he mentally berated himself. 'God, I sound like a moron!'

As he moved past him, John grabbed his hand.

"No, Rodney, no drink. I just want you."

What followed was a night Rodney would remember, even if he lived to be 200 years old.

John Sheppard was a sexual athlete. What he didn't do to Rodney had not been invented. Rodney knew he had definitely lost IQ points that night.

His eyes had threatened to roll back in his head several times, especially when John went down on his cock the first time like a starving man. He kept murmuring something like, "Was right," while suckling the fat, rosy head.

John's body was long and muscled, not bulging but very well-defined, not an ounce of fat on him, and covered with smooth, dark hair. Rodney knew his own body well - what it looked like and what it was capable of. However, the way John fell on him, almost like he wanted to devour him, made Rodney feel like he was the most desirable person in the world.

In between bouts, they chatted. Rodney found out about John's father and brother. He found out that John was a surfer dude at heart and that he still missed his mother. Rodney almost came again when John told him he'd taken the Mensa test and passed. The fact that John had then refused to join the prestigious organization made Rodney's eyes widen in horror. John had had to kiss him long and hard to get him to stop squawking about it.

In turn, John had found out about Rodney's allergy issues; his dismay when his only sister had decided on a life of domesticity rather than scientific research like him; that his parents had a wedding and event-planning business and that Rodney played the piano up to concert level.

John had been satisfyingly impressed. "Wow! But... why didn't you pursue it?"

Rodney had simply shaken his head and rolled over to pin John to the bed. His intentions were clear.

After that bout, they had gone out to pick up Chinese. When they got back, they inhaled the food as if they hadn't eaten in months and then, back in bed, continued where they had left off.

John told him he was reading War and Peace, again, Rodney heckled him over his sci-fi preferences and John needled him about his well-known penchant for terrorizing his minions.

Rodney had stared at him in disbelief. "How the hell do you know that?! It's true - but how did you find that out?"

John had straddled his hips, played with Rodney's perky pink nipples, and smirked. He had leaned down, suckled one while playing with the other and when Rodney moaned and squirmed, confessed: "Radek, of course."

Rodney sputtered at him in righteous indignation. "That ... traitor!"

John had slid off of him, flipped him over and then rimmed him to a shuddering, moaning climax.

After that they had fallen asleep, only to wake in the dawn to slow, mutual handjobs.

That had set the pattern for nearly all of their 'hook-ups'. They never went on typical dates, just fucked and ate - and fucked again. Whenever John was out on the West Coast for whatever reason, Rodney was his go-to guy for fun, hot, strings-free sex.

They got along great, too; their personalities, surprisingly, simply meshed and ... Rodney fell in love.

John must have realized, Rodney admitted to himself, but the other man had been nothing but kind, almost painfully generous during their hookups. Rodney had to be satisfied with the thought that, for John, it had been more of a case of being 'in lust' with Rodney.

Now he told Jeannie some of this - haltingly and with a tinge of embarrassment. When he looked up at the end, there was silence, and he waited for her to say something. When she turned to him, however, he was surprised to see traces of damp on her cheeks. She shook her head, pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped under her eyes.

"Oh, Mer..."

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

Rodney tensed as the call his secretary had put through trilled on his desk phone. He took a deep breath and then picked up the handset.

"Hello..."

His eyes closed tightly as the voice breathed in its signature drawl, "Hey, Rodney."

"Hey, John... Uhm, you in town?" 

Rodney was glad that his voice had come out sounding normal, friendly. His shoulders settled and he relaxed involuntarily at the sound of John's soft chuckle.

"Not yet." He paused and Rodney waited. "Uhm, I need to tell you something..."

Rodney closed his eyes again and when he opened them, they were shining. John wanted to tell him personally about his impending marriage and that made Rodney feel just marginally better about that disaster. So, he hurried ahead in his most professional voice.

"It's okay, I know congratulations are in order, John."

If he hadn't been so focused on listening for every little intonation in John's voice, he would have missed what definitely sounded like a sigh of relief.

"Oh, ah, yeah - yes, she's great, y'know..." John trailed off and Rodney hurried to fill in the awkward pause.

"My firm is handling your engagement party so no doubt I'll get to meet her eventually."

Rodney frowned as the silence on the other end stretched. Finally, John's voice came back, sounding somewhat surprised.

"Hold up - your firm is doing...? Who decided that? Shit, Rodney!"

Rodney, despite his aching heart, wanted to chuckle at the sound of John's stricken voice. That told him John had not deliberately chosen Rodney to handle the party.

"John, John! Calm down," he said, his voice warmer as he dropped the professional mask. "Is it surprising that your family would pick the premier event-planning firm in the country?"

Rodney could almost hear the exaggerated eye-roll from John and smiled when his now ex-lover chuckled.

John huffed a sigh and said, "Yeah, okay, I can see that." There was another pause and then: "You, uhm, you okay?"

Rodney nearly bristled at the unsolicited concern in John's voice. What? He wasn't some delicate flower of maidenhood who was going to collapse in vapors. So, he did what he did best.

"Pffft, why wouldn't I be? Wasn't marriage in your future a foregone conclusion? People like you have a responsible to secure your legacy, don't you? You have to spawn the next generation of movers and shakers, as I'm sure your father has reminded you."

Rodney heard John draw in a long breath and then slowly let it out. He could almost imagine John's long fingers raking through his already messy shock of hair as Rodney ranted. The image sharpened the pain in Rodney's soul and he continued more calmly.

"Look, John - we... I had a good time and ... I wish you the best, okay?"

"Rodney," John started and then stopped. Finally, "Thank you... Uhm, so - see you soon, then?"

Rodney looked down at the single folder on the gleaming expanse of his desk and nodded. "Yes, your father apparently wants you married as soon as it can be arranged. All the usual conventions to be observed, according to your file."

It sounded as if John made a huffing sound but Rodney ignored it to continue in a once-again professional tone. "So, the usual engagement party soon and then the meetings to arrange the actual wedding."

Rodney wondered briefly if he could palm everything off on Keller but knew he was doomed to handle this himself. After all, the merger, er, joining of the Sheppard and Robichaud-Hansen families was as high-profile as you could get. Not to mention that it would give BonTemps serious cachet in the event-planning community.

"Dammit, Rodney!"

Rodney startled at the frustrated snarl. "What, John?!" Rodney felt his face flushing with anger. "God, what do you want from me!"

His breath came hard and he blinked away the burning behind his eyes. It was tearing him up inside to maintain a cool facade and John, damn him, wasn't helping!

"Rodney, I just..." John's gusty sigh almost made Rodney wince. "I don't want you to be... hurt, okay? We're ... good?"

Rodney dropped his head to his chest but croaked out, "Yeah, John, we're... good." He looked at his office door and sat up straight. "Uhm. Look, I have a meeting in a minute, so..."

John hurried to assure him, "Yeah, yeah, okay, I'll let you go... See you in a bit, huh?"

Rodney had the Sheppard/Robichaud-Hansen schedule laser-burnt into his brain so he cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, here tomorrow, in fact. Uh, you and, uhm, your__"

John cut him off. "Yeah, ugh, tomorrow."

Rodney felt the sadness rise up to try and swamp him but he swallowed it down. "Okay, tomorrow then."

A sigh and, "Tomorrow."

Rodney ended the call before giving into the urge to prolong it. It had been awkward and pathetic. He turned to look out at the bleary scene beyond the large windows and sighed. Life sucked sometimes - and not in a good way at all.

He looked around as his office door opened and Keller came in, her eyes openly curious at Rodney's bleak expression.

"Is everything okay, Rodney?"

Rodney's slanted mouth pulled down even further at one corner and he huffed, "Yes, everything's wonderful, don't you know?"

She blinked at the uncharacteristically bitter tone of his response. Rodney was many things but this faint air of despair was new for him, in her experience.

"Uh, okay, then... Well, the Grandisons are here. Do you want to sit in?"

Rodney hadn't planned to but he needed a distraction right about now. He got up and came around the desk, his hand outstretched to take a folder from her.

Jennifer's lips quirked as Rodney stalked past her. "Okay, I'll take that as a 'yes', then!" and closed the office door behind her as they left.

******

John was sorely tempted to throw his phone across the room after Rodney ended the call.

Shit! He was not supposed to feel this storm of confusing emotion for Rodney. The man was just another hook-up, nothing more. He had wanted him to be just another of his many booty calls. That's how it had to be because anything else was ... impossible. 

Just because Rodney didn't fit into the mould that John had for his partners, just because he made him laugh and feel... things... Fuck, it didn't have to signify anything but that they got along really well, right? Heck, Frankie made him laugh, too!

See, wanting to spend a longer time with Rodney each time they hooked up didn't mean a damned thing - nothing at all.

He and Frankie would go to the meeting the next day and it would be fine. Maybe, if he was lucky, Rodney would let his assistant handle things. There was no real need for the company's CEO to be involved.

John had managed to talk himself down and by the time he left his apartment to meet Frankie for lunch, his head was on straight again.

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

John smiled as he drove, listening with half an ear to Frankie's light chatter. He knew she wasn't buying his current laconic attitude; she had known him too long to be fooled. It was Frankie, at the ripe old age of 18, who had slapped John upside the head when he was dithering about whether he liked girls or boys, and made him realize - he didn't have to choose just one.

That was a weird idea for John, having grown up in Patrick Sheppard's suffocating shadow, and the thought had scared him. Yet, he was not a coward, so, with Frankie's eager help, young John Sheppard had delved into the world of sexual exploration and experimentation. He and Frankie had indulged in every combination possible. They had even taken baby steps into the scary area of bondage and dominance/submission. John found out, at least, that they weren't for him. Any psychologist worth his shingle would have told you that stemmed from his lack of trust, given the woeful absence of a loving father figure. John was not about to give up an ounce of control to anyone.

Luckily, Frankie, staunchly lesbian, never needled him about it; she was quite happy to introduce him to her favorite kind of threesome. John in the middle of a huge bed being serviced by her flavor of the moment was a treat for her - one she didn't often get to indulge because their paths didn't cross as often anymore.

Now John's mind turned again to the imminent meeting at BonTemps, almost certain that Frankie would pick up on the tension between him and Rodney.

So, when they were finally showed into an elegantly-appointed meeting room by a young receptionist, offered refreshment and then sat sipping their drinks to await Ms. Keller, John chided his nerves and told them to take a hike. There was absolutely no reason for him to be anxious about seeing Rodney. He looked over at Frankie, smiled at her and sat back to await the commencement of their meeting.

Not five minutes later, John glanced up at a sound and saw, through the tinted glass wall of the meeting room, Rodney and a beautiful blonde talking to the receptionist. She gestured towards John and Frankie; Rodney nodded once and stalked towards them. John drew a deep breath and then startled when Frankie patted his hand.

"Hey, getting married isn't the end of the world, Shep!"

Her familiar, humor-laden voice made him smile and, as he was about to answer, was interrupted by Rodney and the blonde's arrival.

John got to his feet and felt his smile grow strained as Rodney met hs eyes. Rodney, however, had the most neutral expression John had ever seen as he greeted John coolly and professionally.

"Colonel Sheppard, Ms. Robichaud-Hansen, I'm Rodney McKay, CEO of BonTemps; welcome." He shook Frankie's hand when she held it out and then turned to introduce his companion. "This is Jennifer Keller, my XO and the person who will be overseeing everything for you."

Then there was the normal, polite exchange of greetings and, when they took their seats at one end of the conference table, Rodney suggested they begin with what Frankie had in mind for their party.

John always thought that guys didn't have much input in weddings and all the attendant decisions and headaches but, apparently, these days, the groom was expected to participate.

That meant, unfortunately, that for the forty minutes that followed, he had to pretend that he actually gave a shit about his wedding.

He sat for the most part, though, with an interested expression pasted on his face but, inside, he wanted the whole thing to be over. Brooding on this, he almost missed a question, directed at him by Ms. Keller, that had them all waiting patiently for him to answer.

"Uh, groomsmen? I hadn't really..." he started and then shrugged. However, one person popped up and he said, sitting up and nodding decisively, "Yeah, Evan - Evan Lorne. I'm sure he'll stand as my best man."

Frankie grinned at him and asked teasingly, "Shep, don't you have anyone else to stand as groomsmen? This is the only time I'll be doing this so I think I ought to have at least two bridesmaids - besides my sister who'll be Maid of Honor."

John, painfully aware of Rodney and Keller watching them, shrugged. "I guess I can scare up two more of my Air Force buddies."

Jennifer made a sort of squealing sound and then flushed when the others looked at her in surprise. She grinned and admitted: "I think dress blues will look wonderful in your wedding!"

John saw Rodney frown and then look down quickly at the tablet on the table before him. "Okay, so at least eight in the bridal party. Will any of the others be available for your engagement party?"

His cool blue eyes, lacking the usual sparkle that had sometimes made John's breath catch, turned from John to Frankie as he waited for them to consider and then answer him.

Frankie looked over at John, unsure, and then shrugged. "We could always check with the folks and see. Er, do all the members of the bridal party have to be present at the engagement party?"

Keller hurried to assure her, "No, it would just be nice to have them, your family and any other intimates there - to meet and mingle before the wedding, y'know."

John surreptitiously watched Rodney's long fingers as he made notes or whatever. He couldn't help flashing back to the many times those same fingers had worked their erotic magic and had John writhing and screaming in ecstasy. He flushed and averted his gaze and then he almost startled to find Frankie watching him with a faintly puzzled air. He simply shrugged and she, thankfully, turned back to answer more of Keller's questions.

John closed his eyes and took a deep breath, held it and let it out slowly. When he was done, his body relaxing a bit, he looked up - straight into Rodney's clear, blue eyes. John's widened as he returned the look and then he glanced at the women.

Keller had just asked Frankie about the venue, whether it was going to be at her or John's family home and John interjected with: "Uh, I think my dad would prefer we do it at his country club - Costa Vedra?"

When he glanced at Rodney, he could have sworn that, behind the cool mask, Rodney was rolling his eyes! The realization made his face heat; a couple of times while they had been basking in the afterglow and chatting, Rodney had teased him for being a member of the 'country club set'.

He was distracted when Frankie slapped his arm lightly and said, chuckling: "Yeah, that'll be perfect! The geezers should be happy with that."

John saw both Rodney and Keller blink at the irreverent comment and he returned Frankie's grin. "Uh huh, the old man can hold court and let everyone bask in the magnificence of his plans for everyone's future."

Okay, that came out a little bitter but he felt entitled to it. He looked at Rodney with a hint of challenge in his gaze and was surprised to see a faint wash of color come up in the other man's face.

John experienced an odd squeezing sensation in his chest as he watched Rodney's slanted mouth turn down at one corner. Shit, he wasn't as calm, cool and collected as John had thought and he wished he could do something about it.

The sound of Frankie and Keller's voices brought him back to the subject at hand and he listened without caring as the plans for the party proceeded apace. Finally, both Keller and Rodney made movements that indicated this planning session was winding down when Keller asked an important question.

Smiling in the sunny way that seemed to be a natural part of her personality, the blonde twinkled and asked: "So, no time for ring-shopping yet, huh?"

Both Frankie and John looked at each other and then blinked at Keller; John tried desperately to stop himself from looking at Rodney, too.

Frankie, bless her, laughed and looked roguishly at Keller. "No, as a matter of fact. This one would probably use twist ties - like when we were kids - and think it funny."

She and Keller laughed as if they were best friends, and Frankie looked at her appraisingly.

John grabbed Frankie's hand in what he hoped looked like an affectionate way but tried to transmit telepathically: _Stop flirting!_

Keller, unaware of the biplay, laughed again but chided gently: "You should really get on that, though. Gosh, if it were me, my guy would have had to take a knee while holding up the biggest diamond ever!"

John frowned slightly. Frankly, the thought of getting a ring made everything seem so much more real. He was actually getting married!

Suddenly Rodney surged to his feet and John realized the meeting was finally over. He rose, too, and Frankie and Keller did as well, but more slowly. The two women chatted happily as they moved ahead of John and Rodney out of the room and when they had walked far enough ahead, John grasped Rodney's arm to halt him.

"Rodney..." He didn't know what he was pleading for, maybe a thawing of the ice in Rodney's expression, but his heart sank when Rodney shook off his hand and turned to him.

"Was there anything you wanted to add, Colonel?"

Rodney was the very essence of politeness and John had to admit defeat. He straightened up, stared at Rodney for a long moment, and then moved away.

"No," he said, his voice a little hoarse. "No, nothing at all."

With a tiny nod, John eased past the other man and caught up with Frankie and Keller at the elevators. He smiled at his fiancée, thanked Keller for her help, and then ushered Frankie into the lift when it arrived.

The last thing he saw as the doors closed was Rodney turning away abruptly; apparently he had been watching them - him - leave.

******

Rodney had a headache. No big deal; headaches were par for the course when you ran a business that catered to other people's whims, sometimes at the most stressful moments in their lives.

What made this headache different was that it was accompanied by what he had to admit was heartache.

He had thought he could armor himself in ice to be able to handle the meeting with John and his fiancée, but he had not thought of the physical toll it would have taken on him.

John. John had looked so hot in his washed-out jeans, pale green-gray Henley that made his eyes look greener, and that broken-in leather bomber jacket that Rodney loved on him.

Rodney rubbed his eyes and then reached over to tap the intercom button once. Within seconds, his secretary appeared and waited. Rodney didn't bother with a smile when he asked her to bring him a couple of painkillers; she wouldn't have expected it anyway. She brought them and a glass of room-temperature water; when he muttered "thanks", she simply nodded, took back the glass and left the office, closing the door softly behind her.

Rodney gazed down at the tablet; one picture was on the high-definition screen - a selfie of a grinning John and his laughing fiancée. Rodney tried to study her dispassionately.

John's fiancée was beautiful. Not only was she gorgeous, with all that pale, satiny skin and sable hair, she also had a sense of humor. She actually seemed to be just right for John - and Rodney's chest ached.

Rodney had never understood what people meant about heartbreak; in his stupidity, he had often scoffed at what he called 'sickening melodrama'. Now, he - the smartest man on the planet - now, he was reduced to sighing over the loss of one skinny flyboy with stupid hair and odd, pointy ears.

He was almost inclined to scoff at himself. It wasn't as if John had ever encouraged him, even knowing that Rodney had stupidly fallen for him. _Ugh,_ he thought now, _snap out of it McKay - it wasn't the end of the bloody world!_

It only felt like it.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

Costa Vedra Country Club: Rodney sneered internally at the large but discreet signage as he drove onto the expansive property. The front of the stately building had wide, terra cotta steps leading to a gorgeous verandah of the same colour. Lush bougainvillea wrapped around tall, thick columns that supported the high porch roof and white plantation-style shutter doors were standing wide open in invitation.

Had it not been such an ordeal for Rodney to be handling this event - John's engagement party - he would have relished being on the beautiful property. As it was, he tossed the car keys to the valet and stalked up the steps, at the top of which Keller stood, her ever-present tablet clutched in her hand.

She smiled, bright and engaging when Rodney came abreast of her but as he continued past her, her face fell and she turned quickly to follow him.

"I've spoken with the manager and he, apparently, is thrilled to be 'hosting such an auspicious event'," she said, breathing quickly as she hurried to keep up with Rodney's long strides.

Rodney nodded in an absent manner; his whole demeanor seemed to indicate that, though his body was there, his mind was not. Jennifer sighed and proceeded to give him an update on every aspect of their preparations for the party that night.

Finally, when they had finished checking everything - from the snowy linen to the sparkling glassware, gleaming flatware and the elegant vases overflowing with flowers - he turned to her when she said:

"The couple should be here in a few minutes to give everything a once-over."

Rodney's eyes widened and Jennifer watched, fascinated, when a whole host of expressions flowed across his face.

"Why do they need to do a once-over?"

Jennifer chuckled, unaware of the fury building in her boss. "You don't know a lot about us women, do you?"

Rodney growled and Jennifer took an involuntary step back, her own eyes wide as she took in the flushed and furious face before her.

"BonTemps doesn't need some little debutante and her pet flyboy checking our work!"

Jennifer gulped and nodded, even though she had no idea why Rodney was reacting like this. Her eyes flicked over Rodney's shoulder and she leaned in a little to mutter: "Uhm, the happy couple's here!"

Rodney took a deep breath and swung around as John and Frankie came up to them. He didn't get a chance to put his foot in his mouth, however, because Frankie squealed and hugged Jennifer.

"Oh, wow, you actually managed to drag this place into the 21st Century, girl!"

Jennifer laughed, delighted with the bride-to-be's reaction. "Wait until you see the rest of it..." and she walked away with a smile over her shoulder for John and Rodney.

The two men, strangely, were staring at each other and Jennifer wondered briefly what that was about but she was distracted by Frankie bouncing ahead into the area that was set up for the dance.

Behind them, Rodney's color had subsided somewhat: his cheekbones were still a telltale red and he tightened his lips as he looked away from John.

"I didn't think you'd be here," John murmured and looked away from Rodney's narrowed eyes.

Rodney frowned. "Your families are important enough to get personal service from the CEO, don't you know."

His voice was calm and polite but John could hear the tension that Rodney's professionalism struggled to mask.

John thrust a hand through his hair, tousling it even further, and he sighed. "Rodney, this doesn't have to be so..."

Rodney crossed his arms and stared belligerently at John. "'So' what?" However, he turned and followed the women without waiting for John to answer. He heard his ex-lover sigh but ignored the twist of guilt tightening his chest.

Frankie was looking around at the hip and modern decor with a cute, little-girl look on her face. "What about a deejay?"

Jenn laughed, delighted with Frankie's reaction to her choices for the look of the venue. She hauled a coy look on her face, though, and lowered the volume of her voice, as if she were uncertain. "Well, I only got _the_ hottest deejay on the planet for you..."

"What?!"

Frankie's shriek had both John and Rodney wincing but John recovered quickly and, with a quick flick of his eyes at Rodney, he sauntered up to his fiancée and grinned.

"Damn, Frankie, dogs could hear that over in the next county."

Frankie laughed and elbowed him lightly in the ribs. John rolled his eyes at Jennifer who responded with a cascade of giggles. Frankie grinned at her and came over to give her a big hug, which Jenn returned with enthusiasm.

Rodney, still unhappy and dying to get way from all the happy-happy, huffed and then clapped his hands together with a sharp sound.

"Okay, then! I take it we're all happy with everything?" The others turned to look at him, two pairs of puzzled blue eyes and one pair of sad, green eyes.

Frankie looked from Rodney to Jenn and then back again. "Uh, yes, I'm happy with everything. John?"

John swallowed hard and then straightened his shoulders. He looked over at Jennifer and smiled before taking her hand. "This is really great; thank you."

Frankie tugged on John's hand and, with a little wave, headed for the doors. "Okay, so, see you guys tonight?"

Although she posed it as a question, it was obvious she expected the answer to be in the affirmative. Just as Jennifer responded with a perky, "Yes, of course!", Rodney responded with, "Sorry, no."

Frankie and John paused just inside the door but it was John who said, "Oh?"

Rodney lifted his chin but, with a smile that missed his eyes by a light year, said, "Yes, some family thing came up."

At John's look of disbelief, Rodney addressed Frankie. "I have every confidence in Ms. Keller; she'll see to everything," he said while waving one hand at the beautiful room.

Frankie, with that puzzled look once gain, nodded pleasantly. "Yes, she's done a great job." She smiled at Jenn again and with a nod at Rodney, she and John headed back towards the parking lot.

Jennifer turned to Rodney, her eyebrows in the unusual configuration of a frown. "Rodney - what was that?!"

Rodney turned on his heel and made for the kitchens. "I don't know what you're talking about." He threw the next statement over hunched shoulders. "I'm going to double-check the menu."

Jennifer stared at his retreating back in disbelief. Rodney had always been difficult but he had never, ever been so rude and dismissive to clients before. She let out a big puff of air and shook her head as she followed him.

Whatever had turned him into an old grump had better be temporary. If he continued this way, their future in this business would be a short one.

****** 

Midnight found Rodney staring at a half-empty bottle of Bushmill's, a Christmas gift from Radek, the heavy cut-glass tumbler he had been using hanging precariously from a thumb and two fingers. Despite the level of the bottle's contents, he was not really drunk, just a little buzzed.

He was pretty mad at himself for holding on to this really stupid feeling of... abandonment... and he wanted to just, maybe, sleep for a long, long time. He felt that, if he could just sleep away the hurt, he could return to being his normal irascible self, not this pathetic, sodden mess.

He got up and strolled over to his galley kitchen to replace the Irish whiskey in the cupboard above the refrigerator. He needed to stop drinking or he'd be in a world of hurt the next morning.

Heaving a sigh, he turned out the light and strolled across the living room, noting absently the twinkling lights of the city beyond the tall windows. As he headed to his bedroom, the doorbell chimed. _What the__?_

Who the hell would be stupid enough to disturb him at that hour, he wondered as he yanked the door open. His mouth fell open as he stared at his unexpected visitor.

"Hey, Rodney."

Rodney was speechless for about five seconds and then: "John, what the hell?"

John smiled but it was a weak thing, nothing like his usual sexy smirk. "Uh, can I come in?"

Without answering, Rodney stepped back out of the way. He closed the door when John passed him and then took a deep breath before he turned around.

They stood watching each other with guarded expressions, but Rodney's mind was screaming, _'What the fuck?!'_

John reached up a hand to rub the back of his neck, a nervous tic, if Rodney knew anything. His eyes toured down John's long body, sexy as ever, and he gritted his teeth.

"John, what the heck, do you know what time it is? And where's your fiancée; won't she wonder where you are?"

John looked at him from between narrowed lids and Rodney stared back challengingly. He stalked past John towards the kitchen and that bottle of whiskey.

John grabbed his wrist, halting Rodney's stomp past him. "I want to tell you__"

He broke off as Rodney wrenched his arm from his hold and glared at him. "Stop, you really don't owe me any explanations, okay? I know that."

He was staring at the floor, though, when he muttered that but John knew him well. With a deep breath he stepped into Rodney's personal space, smiling faintly when Rodney looked up at him with wide eyes.

John, his voice soft, explained. "My father is the kind of man who doesn't ever take 'no' for an answer. Frankie," he paused and grinned, holding Rodney's eyes. "Rodney, Frankie's gay..."

Rodney felt his head swim with confused thoughts and his breath came in gasps. "Wait, what?!"

John let out a little laugh and grasped Rodney's thick biceps. He caressed them gently as he stared into Rodney's eyes. "Uh-huh, we're the perfect match, apparently - just not in the way my dad would ever think of in a million years."

Rodney looked at the man he loved - and totally blanked. The next moment, he came back to himself with the feel of John's succulent lips on his.

With an embarrassing little whimper, Rodney opened up to the warmth and sweetness of John's mouth. He slid his arms around the slender waist and held on. When they broke for breath, Rodney could only stare at the smiling green eyes and marvel.

"John..."

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

"John..."

John laughed, his tone light and his eyes teasing as he closed in for another kiss. He couldn't seem to get enough of Rodney's feel and taste. He groaned and slipped his hands down Rodney's broad back and settled on his ass. He shuddered at the feel of Rodney's hard on pressing against his own and then stepped back. He took Rodney's hand and tugged him towards the bedroom.

Suddenly Rodney stopped and John turned, surprised, to see him staring at John. "What is it?"

Rodney blinked and tugged his hand out of John's. "Wait, wait." He swallowed hard and then looked at John with a hint of his earlier sadness. "Okay, you're saying that, basically, you and Frankie are each other's beard?"

John turned to him fully and nodded, wondering where Rodney was going with this, but he wanted to set his mind at ease.

"Yes; what's wrong?"

Rodney stared at him in disbelief, his mouth opening and closing before finally getting out, "So, what, we just continue as before?"

John, not realizing how serious Rodney was, grinned and shrugged, "Yeah, why not?"

Rodney stared at him without answering; he simply walked over to the sofa and collapsed on it. Then he looked over at John.

"No."

John's eyes widened and he moved slowly over to Rodney but didn't sit. "I - what? What do you mean 'no'?"

Rodney looked up at him and shook his head in a weary manner. He sighed. "I can't do this. You," he flapped his hand up and down at John's body, "and her... What when your father expects kids?"

His mouth slanted unhappily. "I don't think I can do the sneaking around with a married man thing." He looked back at John, his eyes pleading. "Do you understand?"

John crouched down in front of Rodney and grasped both of his hands, stroking them in a calming manner. "Rodney, don't you realize? It won't be a real marriage. That's the point!"

Rodney frowned and shook his head. "Besides the whole icky feeling this gives me - there's my family business to consider."

John blinked, surprised, and Rodney huffed in impatience. "Clients can probably accept two single guys - gay, bi, whatever - fooling around. Once one or both are married to other people, pffft, people get squirrelly!"

Rodney surged to his feet and started to pace. John couldn't stand to see him so frazzled and came up to him slowly.

With a sigh, Rodney gave in to the comfort of the hug.

He loved John so much and even though he knew those feelings were not returned, he also knew that John did care about him. That made his reluctance to continue this - affair - so confusing. He wouldn't blame John if he just left and never saw Rodney again.

John nuzzled that hot spot beneath Rodney's left ear, reveling in the fact that Rodney couldn't hold back the shiver that coursed through him.

"Come to bed, Rodney; we'll sort this out tomorrow." John's seductive voice and words tickled Rodney's ear.

With a soft groan, Rodney gave in; tomorrow he'd tell John goodbye. Tonight was just for him.

"Yes."

John hid the triumphant grin in a devouring kiss. His body came alive and he and Rodney undressed each other in indecent haste.

"John, John..."

The way Rodney's voice sounded so wrecked already made John harder than he could ever remember.

The only sounds in the apartment after that were gasps and groans, pleas for more and harder interspersed with each other's name. When John sank into Rodney's tight, smooth heat, nothing could convince him this was somewhere he shouldn't be.

Too soon - "Rodney, ah, Rodney!" and "Oh, god, John, yes, yes!" - and the sweet immolation of their climax obliterated any thought of giving this up from Rodney's mind...

For now.

******

John slid from Rodney's bed before the gray dawn turned the curtains translucent. He dressed quietly, took his shoes in his hand and leaned down to kiss Rodney's sleeping mouth.

He would call Rodney later, he told himself as he started his car.

Upstairs, Rodney watched him drive away and turned, dejected again, from the window. With his mind made up, he made several calls, threw clothes and toiletries in his luggage and called a cab.

Ten hours later, he pulled up, sad and exhausted outside of his sister's home. He smiled as the door opened and she stood there, the light behind her warm and welcoming.

"Hey, Mer."

******

Frankie watched John as he slid into clean underwear. He really was a great-looking guy, she thought with affection. It was a pity they weren't straight and into each other. As it was, she suspected something was pretty off in the gay and not very happy world of one Colonel John Sheppard.

"Are you going to tell me what's eating you?"

John smiled, only half meaning it as he slid into dress slacks and then sat on the edge of the bed to put on socks and shoes.

They were expected to brunch with her folks and while she was already quite attractively dressed and ready, he had wasted a lot of time in the shower reliving his night with Rodney.

"Why do you think something's 'eating' at me."

Frankie scoffed loudly and rolled her eyes. "Shep, I've known you for how long now? You cannot bullshit me, my friend." She plunked down beside him, causing him to frown in annoyance at her.

"God, you're such a pest!" That was spoiled by the affectionate lift to one corner of his mouth. He shook his head. "There's this guy, okay?"

Frankie tilted her head and studied him, her shining bob swinging against one cheek. "Go on..."

John got up and slipped on the white button-down shirt, buttoning it as he continued. "He, uh, he's not too happy with this..." He gestured between the two of them.

Frankie got up and lifted his sport coat off of its hanger. She watched him slip into it and then smoothed the fit of the shoulders.

"But, why? Didn't you explain our situation?"

John nodded but didn't look at her as he buckled the strap of his watch. He sighed. "Yeah, I did, but..."

When he didn't continue, Frankie moved past him to the living room and took up her purse. "Well, you'll simply have to do a better job of convincing him."

John smiled at the use of the word 'simply'. There was nothing simple about dealing with Rodney. His complex nature and snarky personality were just two of the things he loved about the scientist.

Ugh, wait, what?!

John stood frozen, his skin pale beneath his tan. Frankie, oblivious to the turmoil that had just descended on her fiancé, chattered away as she headed to the front door to wait for him.

Finally, John went through the motions of locking up, zombie-like in his distraction.

All the way to the huge Robichaud-Hansen home, he responded to Frankie on auto-pilot. He was so accusomed to her conversation that it required only half an ear for him to respond at the appropriate spots.

When he steered the car between the imposing gate posts at the start of the long, tree-lined driveway, John finally snapped out of his fugue state.

Frankie grinned over at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "With me again, are you?"

John felt his cheeks heat and he smiled in apology. "Sorry about that. Something just hit me, y'know?"

"Oh? Gonna tell me about it?"

He shrugged, reluctant to let her into his head. "When I have it figured out, trust me, you'll be first to know."

Brunch with the Robichaud-Hansen clan was pleasant, as usual, and John remembered why he'd always felt comfortable visiting them over the years. Despite their wealth and status, Frankie's mother was a warm, generous woman who had always made John feel welcome. Frankie's dad was one of his own father's closest friends and John knew the whole family was happy about the upcoming nuptials.

As the day waned and he and Frankie went to hang out with friends, John found himself feeling less and less sanguine about the whole situation. More and more, too, his mind went back to that little, inconvenient four-letter word that had broadsided him earlier that day.

Could it really be possible that he... Nah, that wasn't in the plan at all. It would screw up everything - if he really were ... in love with...

He sighed for like the fiftieth time that day and when Frankie looked over at him, he shrugged apologetically.

"I'm sorry I'm not in a better mood, Peanut," he said, using the pet name he'd coined for her years before. "I promise to do better."

Her laugh wafted behind them on the air, as he had taken the top down on the Audi. "Yeah, maybe you can write that into your vows."

He returned a sickly grin which, thankfully, she couldn't see in the dim early evening light. "Yeah, maybe..."

After he dropped her off, he turned the car around and headed to Rodney's flat. He needed to see him, to talk to him... make love to him.

John parked in his usual spot on the street, put up the hood and locked the car after he stepped onto the sidewalk. He looked up briefly at Rodney's wide window and didn't even realize there was no light to be seen.

He jingled the keys in his pocket and sauntered past the doorman with an affable nod. He whistled tunelessly as he waited for the elevator and nodded politely to the couple that exited it. Inside, he watched the numbers light up as the floors were passed and then, finally, he was outside Rodney's door.

As he waited for Rodney to respond to the door chime, he went over in his mind what he was going to say.

If Rodney would give him some time - if he would wait for him - John would find a way out of the situation.

The most important thing he would tell Rodney, though, was about the epiphany he'd had that morning.

He bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited for Rodney to open the door, warmth slowly returning, and he smiled in anticipation.

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

Rodney stayed with Jeannie for several days, during which he managed to hold back from calling John or returning his texts. Rodney knew it was cowardly but he also knew himself well. If he didn't take the time to build back up his walls, one day he would probably just explode. It would not be pretty and would, more than likely, traumatize his staff. They really didn't deserve to witness that.

He closed his laptop and sighed. He had just held a Skype conference with Keller and he was satisfied that she was handling things. He knew she could - she had been in the business and with BonTemps for a long time. She was probably a better fit to run the company than Rodney was. He didn't resent her for that; heck, if Jeannie had been thinking straight rather than worrying about her domestic issues, she probably would have thought of promoting Jennifer. Instead, Rodney was chafing at the bit, doing this job only out of a sense of obligation to his sister.

Rodney glanced again at the silent cellphone and the urge to call or text John returned. John really had not deserved to have Rodney disappear on him but Rodney had simply panicked. He panicked because, as much as it would have hurt his pride to live like that, deep down he would have accepted the half life of being John's 'bit on the side'.

'A lifestyle like that was undignified and bordered on stupid.' Those had been Jeannie's words after Rodney had spilled everything upon his arrival. A McKay lived in nobody's shadow, she had reminded him, words he had first uttered years ago when she had broken the news of her engagement to Kaleb.

That had been a ding-dong battle as Rodney had felt she was dumbing herself down to be a mere wife and mother. He had nearly wept in frustration when she ignored him and married the 'love of her life'. She and Rodney had not spoken again until she had called to tell him he was an uncle.

Rodney, pathetically relieved for that olive branch, had stayed in touch and even eventually learned to tolerate Kaleb. He loved Madison with all his heart and was both relieved and elated when he realized she had inherited the McKay 'superbrain'.

Now Rodney sat in the Millers' sunny living room and pondered his return to LA. Should he call John before he arrived or after?

He looked up when Jeannie came in, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. She flicked it at him and, then with a grin, asked how Jennifer was.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "You know as well as I do that woman could run this whole country if she set her mind to it." He sighed. "Maybe I should just hand the reins over to her, go back full-time to my research."

He didn't want to see Jeannie's reaction because he had promised her three years. Jeannie, however, surprised him.

She laid a cool hand on top of his hand and agreed, her voice soft. "Yeah, maybe that would be better."

Rodney glanced up at her, his blue eyes large in a face that seemed a little thinner these days to Jeannie. She shrugged.

"What? You're right about Jenn - she would be great at running BonTemps."

She came around and sat on the sofa beside him. The thought of Rodney having to supervise John Sheppard's wedding hurt her, even though she had never met the man. She had put herself in Rodney's shoes as he poured his heart out to her, twice now, and realized she had a decision to make.

Rodney, though, was still staring at her. "Really?"

Jeannie smiled, almost a mirror of his slanted version, and nodded. "Really. I know I asked you for three years but, honestly, I had simply needed a break and you were the first person who came to mind."

Rodney started to grin and then he chuckled, whereupon she giggled. The siblings sat and smiled at each other before Rodney's eyes took on a look of mischief. Jeannie lifted an eyebrow in enquiry. "What?"

Rodney almost rubbed his hands as he pasted on an evil grin. "Wait until I tell Radek!"

They burst out laughing and then Rodney continued: "That little poseur thought he'd be running that lab alone for the next two years..."

He laughed again as Jeannie got up to go and check on Madison. She patted his shoulder as she passed. "I'll leave you to burst his bubble then."

She left him cackling to himself as he put through the call. Truthfully, she suspected that Radek had missed Rodney terribly. The two scientists loved to rile each other, even while they bounced their crazy ideas off each other. A couple of times they had run possibilities by her and she had been envious of their working relationship.

Nope, Radek wasn't going to mind having Rodney back at all.

******

Jennifer sat at her desk with a faintly shell-shocked expression on her face.

Rodney wanted to step down and have her take over as manager of BonTemps.

She stared again at the short note that outlined his ideas - as well as the information that he was returning briefly to LA to wrap up things. The wrapping up included a meeting with all the senior staff, of course, and Rodney had asked her not to say anything about the changes until then. She was more than happy to oblige as she was still reeling.

Another thing that puzzled her: Rodney's behavior during the Sheppard/Robichaud-Hansen preliminary meeting, and then again out at the country club.

Jennifer knew that Rodney was not what one would consider a 'people person'. He was brusque and often rude, impatient and dismissive. Yet, he was socialized enough to treat all their clients with the courtesy they deserved. However, these last few days had seen her boss' behavior sink to a new low - and she was curious.

She remembered that, after the preliminary meeting, Rodney and John Sheppard had stayed to talk for a minute while she and Ms. Robichaud-Hansen had continued towards the elevators. Maybe they had met before, she pondered as she continued to look at the email from Rodney, but why hadn't either man said anything?

Jennifer suddenly shook herself and then broke into a wide smile. The most important thing at the moment was her impending promotion. Yes! She mentally high-fived herself and, with that, thoughts of Rodney's odd actions faded to the background.

Her dreams for BonTemps would be able to be fulfilled now, she gloated. The event-planning business was her life and she loved being a part of people's happiest moments.

Her desk phone trilled at her and she chuckled as she answered it: business was waiting.

******

A few days later, Rodney stalked into the penthouse office of BonTemps and headed for his desk. Behind him, Jennifer smiled, actually relieved to see him looking less stressed than he'd been.

"Have the others confirmed they're able to attend?"

Rodney had surprised her by deciding to have the meeting in the company dining room, with the invitation extended beyond just the senior staff. Jennifer had set her assistant the task of arranging the catering and minimum decorating. Rodney wasn't a man to like a lot of fuss and Jenn was happy to oblige.

"Yes, all the senior staff, their assistants and all the associates. You wanted admin as well to be present, right?"

She figured he would but she simply wanted to confirm. He looked up, distracted. "Hmm, oh yes, of course - can't leave out admin, can we?"

He returned to whatever he was tapping out on his computer and she grinned. She was going to miss him.

"Well, 11 sharp, then," she chirped before leaving him and grinned when he muttered, "Yeah, yeah."

She pulled the door closed and reminded herself to give him a heads up fifteen minutes to the hour; if she didn't, he would probably be late for his own meeting.

By the time she had taken care of her own correspondence, returned phone calls to various vendors and had a couple of meetings with some of the associates, it was nearly 10:45. She hit the intercom button for Rodney's office and reminded him of the time.

She shook her head at his absent-minded response and resolved to go haul him out of the office at five minutes to the hour. She headed into her private restroom, took care of business and then touched up her makeup. She had arranged for one of the in-house photographers to be there and, with that in mind, made her makeup a little more photo-friendly. A fair-skinned blonde couldn't afford to look washed out, she'd learned.

So it was that, by five minutes to 11, Jenn found herself being accompanied by Rodney to the executive dining room which was also on the penthouse floor.

She smiled as they stepped into the spacious room. She had always loved the wall of windows that faced the LA skyline and, even when the day was gray, those windows let in a lot of light. The aroma of flowers greeted them and she knew Katie Brown's extensive knowledge had been tapped. The flowers, of several varieties, were all white and cream, complementing the subdued decor of the executive dining room. They were lush and beautiful, however, and Jenn thought they were a wonderful touch.

Someone had set up a large screen and she wondered, briefly, what that was for.

Beside her, Rodney looked around and greeted the few people who had made it there before them, Richard Woolsey being one.

"Richard," he greeted and the two moved off to chat while awaiting the others' arrival.

Jenn smiled as Elizabeth Weir joined her at the windows, the latter wondering, in a murmured aside, what the occasion was for the sudden meeting.

A little smile quirked Jennifer's lips but she wisely refrained from spilling her secret. Even if she had, she knew Elizabeth would keep it to herself, but she wanted to honor Rodney's confidence in her.

When everyone had arrived and been served their drinks and tiny plates of stuffed mushroom caps, pickled pearl onions and miniature skewers of coconut shrimp, Rodney cleared his throat.

Jenn braced herself and was glad that she had. Rodney's announcement of his imminent departure was greeted with polite murmurs, but when he announced Jennifer's promotion, the room erupted in sincere applause.

She flushed with pride and pleasure; she really loved working with these people, all of whom absolutely loved their jobs, and she bowed her head in acknowledgement of their generous response.

Rodney continued by letting them all know he had such faith in her to not only keep his parents' dream alive but, also, to raise it to higher levels. With that said, he took a remote from one of his pockets and then directed everyone's attention to the screen.

There was a faint murmur of surprise as Jeannie McKay Miller's beaming face appeared.

"Hello, Jennifer, hi, everyone!" She paused and several people reflexively responded. There was a little laughter and then Jeannie continued. "I don't know how other companies do this - promote deserving, wonderful workers - but this is the McKay Miller way!"

There was more laughter from the watchers and then Jeannie spoke again. "Jenn, we have known each other for a long time and when you came to work at BonTemps, my parents were as happy as I was. I know the firm will be in good hands - strong, capable hands - but I also know our clients' dreams will be best served by someone who shares them, who truly loves the business. All the best, my friend, and ... congratulations!"

The camera pulled back a little to show that - not only was Jeannie sitting in her beautiful back garden - she had Madison in her lap, too. The two curly blonde heads came together as mother and daughter waved their congratulations to Jennifer.

The room erupted again in a mixture of laughter and applause and a couple of "awwws" as the recording came to an end.

Rodney, when things had quieted down, then explained very briefly that he was returning to his first love - research. There were several chuckles at that and Richard, surprisingly, congratulated him quite sincerely.

"It is a rare thing when we find that which we love the most, and are able to pursue it," he said, and nodded at the scattered applause. "Most of us here consider ourselves that fortunate."

Rodney found himself relaxing for the first time since returning to LA the night before and thanked Richard. Then he looked at all the beaming faces around the long table and stated: "That's all the speechifying we need - let's eat!"

There was laughter and then individual conversations arose amongst them, even as the caterer's staff started serving.

Rodney cut into his juicy rib-eye and chatted with Jenn, Elizabeth, Richard and Katie, all of whom were seated near his end of the long dining table. The waiters came around with serving platters of seasonal roasted vegetables after everyone had selected their steak, chicken or fish. Drinks were non-alcoholic, of course, as it was just about lunch time: coffee, tea, iced tea, lemonade and water.

The food disappeared as the staff wasted no time enjoying the delicious fare. As they finished up, people kept coming over to chat with Jennifer and congratulate her personally.

By one o'clock, though, they had all started drifting back to their offices; after all, the business didn't run itself.

Jennifer and Rodney chatted as they strolled back to their offices and, just as they were about to pass the receptionist's desk, they heard Rodney's name being called quietly.

Jennifer was startled to see Rodney's previously flushed cheeks turn pale; she turned to the speaker and was confused to see Colonel Sheppard standing there. All the previous thoughts came flowing back but she moved forward to greet him, her hand outstretched.

"Colonel Sheppard! Hi, did we have a meeting today?"

Rodney was stiff beside her and the Colonel, having greeted Jennifer abstractedly, stared past her to Rodney.

"Uhm, no, I - I'm here, actually, to talk to Dr. McKay."

Jennifer blinked in surprise but she looked up at Rodney who seemed to have recovered somewhat. "Oh? Okay," she smiled tentatively at John. "Well, then, I'll leave you in his capable hands!"

She beamed brightly at the Colonel and then at Rodney before heading swiftly to her office. As she turned at the door, her mind working furiously, she saw Rodney mutter something fierce and then turn on his heels.

What was interesting, though, was that despite Rodney's rude and abrupt behavior, the Colonel simply followed him to the office... and then the door closed.

**TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

Rodney stared out the huge plate glass window of his office, his shoulders hunched and his mouth twisted. He could sense John's eyes staring at him and it made him furious. In actual fact, though, he wasn't really mad at John but more at himself. It wasn't as if John had led him on. He drew a deep breath and turned around.

John was staring at the carpet as if the answer to the meaning of life would suddenly appear. Rodney noted that his green eyes, when he flicked a glance up at Rodney, were dull, muddy. John looked as unhappy as Rodney felt.

"Look__" He broke off just as John said, "Rodney..."

They stared at each other, waiting in that awkward way when people inadvertently spoke at the same time. Rodney, ever impatient, huffed and started again.

"Look, we don't have a problem, okay." He slid his eyes away when that cute, puzzled look appeared on John's handsome face. "I'm stepping down, so there won't be any of this..." he flapped his hand vaguely between them, "awkwardness."

John's eyes widened and he sputtered' "Wh-what? No!" He moved around the desk and grabbed Rodney's forearm. "Rodney, it's okay; you didn't have to resign because of me__!"

Rodney shook his hand off and stepped back as his eyes blazed blue fire. "Get over yourself, Sheppard; I didn't do it because of you!"

John recoiled as if slapped and then he dropped his head to take a deep breath. When he looked up, the expression on his face was faintly skeptical. "Oh, yeah?" His voice was husky but cool. "Then why now, huh?"

Rodney cursed his fair skin as he flushed. He turned back to look out at the cityscape and tried to shrug nonchalantly. "Hmmph, anyone can see this event-planning thing isn't me, alright. My sister agreed that a year was good enough and now Keller is set to take over."

The silence stretched between them just as Rodney's nerves did while he waited for a response.

Finally, John spoke, the coolness replaced by a slight wistfulness. "Uhm, so, you weren't mad at me or something? I mean, you left kinda abruptly..."

Rodney flicked a little glare at him. "The world doesn't revolve around you, y'know?"

He immediately regretted it when he saw the flinch that John tried to hold back. Rodney sighed and moved to take his seat, indicating that John should sit, too.

"John, I'm sorry I've been acting like some... jilted woman. We never made any promises to each other." He looked away, unable to actually look at John while he performed the speech he'd written mentally. "We'll still be friends, keep in touch - that sort of thing."

He actually managed to get all that out. What he didn't realize and should have remembered because he'd been told often enough: he couldn't lie to save his life. He looked up to see John smiling - no, smirking - at him. "What?"

John laughed outright and got up. Rodney watched with wide eyes as John slinked around the end of Rodney's big desk. Rodney leaned back as John turned the chair around and leaned down into Rodney's personal space.

John's breath was warm and fragrant against Rodney's face when he whispered: "Say all of that again."

Rodney's pupils dilated and his breath stuttered as he tried to speak. "Wh-why?"

John brushed a feather-light kiss against Rodney's slanted mouth and then stared into the beloved blue eyes. "Rodney, if I get married, there's no way we can remain 'friends'."

It took Rodney a few seconds to register what John had said. He couldn't be blamed for his slowness because, like Pavlov's dogs, his body was trained to respond to a specific stimulus. In his case, it was John's almost being in his lap that had him growing hard. "Wait - what do you mean _'if'_?"

John straightened up and with a teasing glint in his eyes, he brushed Rodney's lower lip with a gentle thumb. "Rodney, I tried calling you, texting - you didn't respond." He moved away, perched his butt on the corner of Rodney's desk and folded his arms, one eyebrow raised as he waited.

Rodney gaped at John, his jaw dropped slightly as his poor brain tried to make sense of what he was hearing. Finally, he shook his head and, with a deep breath, he asked, "What about your fiancée?"

John sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he dropped his head. "I'm going to talk to her, okay? Besides, Frankie isn't likely to give me any grief over this."

The scoffing sound Rodney made caused John to pause and Rodney explained, "I can't see any woman passing up all that" and he waved a hand to indicate John's attractiveness.

John, to Rodney's surprise, threw his head back and laughed. "Thanks for that half-hearted compliment but, no, Frankie will be okay."

He leaned into Rodney and dropped a quick kiss on the smirking lips. "What a lot of people don't know is that - Frankie's not only my best friend... She's gay, bi, queer... whatever - just like me!"

John laughed at the gobsmacked look on Rodney's face; it really was a cute look on him. However, it didn't last long and he sighed as Rodney frowned at him.

"Okay, so Frankie's not a problem but - what about your father's plan to enlarge his 'empire'? You prepared to face up to him for... me?"

John had a faintly sheepish look on his face but it dissolved as he smiled at Rodney. "Okay, I didn't say this was going to be a walk in the park... but, Rodney," he stood and slid his arms around the other man. "I think it's worth it - _you're_ worth it."

Rodney didn't remember giving John permission to kiss him. Still, when after a minute John made to pull back, Rodney found himself sliding his hand up into John's thick, ever unruly hair and holding him in place - and did he just moan or did John?

Neither of them knew how long they stood there, reveling in the taste and feel of the other. They broke apart finally to stare and then grin goofily at each other before Rodney stepped back and tried to put on a professional mask.

He cleared his throat even while John smirked at him. "Well, it seems BonTemps has lost its first account."

John chuckled and brushed a hand over the bulge in the front of Rodney's jeans. "Yeah, and just who's to blame, huh?"

Rodney leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the smiling lips and then...

"Oh, my God!"

******

Jennifer Keller was uneasy. The tension between Rodney and the Colonel was palpable and as she went over several files, her mind kept wandering to the meeting currently taking place. The Colonel had turned up without an appointment and, somehow, Jennifer had a feeling he was responsible for Rodney's recent odd behavior.

After ten minutes, she admitted to herself she was not able to concentrate, and decided to join the meeting. After all, what could they be discussing about the wedding that she couldn't hear? She grinned to herself as she grabbed the Sheppard/Robichaud-Hansen file and walked briskly from her office to Rodney's.

She paused to listen before knocking. There was no sound from within and she felt a slight disappointment that the meeting had ended already. With a soft tap at the door she opened it and stepped through.

"Oh, my God!"

She stared, her eyes wide and mouth open as she watched Rodney kiss the Colonel. The two men startled and she flushed as both pairs of eyes swiveled towards her.

"Jennifer!"

She stepped back, however, and swung the door shut, her heart hammering in her chest and she sped off, back to her office. She slammed into the room and threw herself into the chair behind her desk. She stared into space for who knew how long and then jerked upright when her office door opened.

Rodney walked in and Jenn flicked a look at him and flushed again. "I'm sorry, Rodney, but I did knock!"

He took a seat on the stylish, ultra-modern couch she liked so much, sighed and shook his head. "Stop, please."

Jenn nodded and then stared down at her clasped hands. It wasn't that Rodney had to explain himself to her or anyone but, what the heck?! He was kissing the Colonel. Her mind spun as she tried to wrap her mind around the fact that the Air Force's newest poster boy was, what - gay, or bi?

Rodney sighed again and she looked at him, waiting. "John and I have been - seeing each other for quite awhile..."

Jennifer straightened up, her big blue eyes wide. "What? When? But..." She slapped her hands over her mouth and squeaked, "Sorry!"

Surprisingly, Rodney grinned at her discomfiture. "Yeah, I couldn't believe that this super hot flyboy was really into me, either," he smiled, addressing what he knew to be her real question. "We met at a fundraiser and... things just developed from there."

Jennifer smiled, touched by how humble the usually arrogant scientist sounded. "Rodney, you know I think you're sexy." She grinned as his eyes widened in surprise and she felt her cheeks heat up. "Yeah, I gave up hoping you'd notice me a long time ago."

Rodney sputtered what sounded like an embarrassed apology and she laughed, holding up a hand. "You can be quite oblivious - but enough about me. I mean," and here she stopped and dropped her eyes briefly before looking back at her friend. "What about the, uhm, wedding?"

She watched as some of the humor left his face and he looked down at his hands. "Well, if he's to be believed, we've probably lost the account."

Jenn got up and came to sit beside him as she waited for him to continue.

Rodney looked at Jenn and was grateful for her sympathetic air. "He has a helluva job ahead of him - talking to his father isn't going to be easy. Nobody goes against Patrick Sheppard's plans, apparently."

Jenn nodded and then asked, her voice timorous, "What about Ms. Robichaud-Hansen. Is she going to be alright?"

If Rodney had not been sure before that Jennifer was the perfect person to run the firm, this question would have assured him. Her genuine interest in and concern for people was what drew people to her. He almost wished he could have been attracted to her. Almost.

"Well, apparently, that young lady happens to play for her own team as well!"

Rodney watched as Jennifer gaped at him and then they both burst into near-hysterical laughter.

Jennifer couldn't believe it. "What?! Oh, my God, Rodney, tell me you're making that up!"

They laughed until they had to catch their breath. Jenn looked at Rodney and could barely hold back the residual chuckles. Finally, Rodney patted her hand and nodded.

"Yeah, I can only guess the great Patrick Sheppard 'hand-picked' her for John without actually knowing anything about her, apart from that she's a family friend and the heir to her family's software millions."

Jennifer chuckled and shook her head. "Oh, man, I wish I could be a fly on that wall when the Colonel tells him!"

Rodney smiled but Jenn could see he wasn't entirely sanguine about the whole thing. She touched his arm as she asked, "What is it?"

He sighed and then looked away. "He's military, Jenn, even though DADT's been repealed - do you think they'd still want him to be on recruiting posters? Worse, he could lose his shot at the Space Program."

Jenn's heart sank; that was a lot to give up - and to face. She wondered if the Colonel were up to the task. She would hate to see Rodney hurt, even worse if the Colonel made promises to him and then didn't follow through.

"Rodney, even that glimpse I got of the two of you - I could tell he's into you." She shook his arm when he scoffed. "No, no, listen. This whole time we've been meeting with them, he's been pretty distracted. Now I know why."

Rodney looked at her with almost painful hope in his eyes. She nodded assuringly. "He wouldn't be if he thought giving you up and marrying her was the right thing for him, would he?"

Jenn could see him taking a little comfort from her words and she relaxed slightly. Then she startled as Rodney pulled her into a brief hug before he pulled back to smile at her.

"God, were you a cheerleader in high school?!"

She laughed out loud and smacked him lightly on the arm. "Of course, I wasn't!"

He pretended to flinch from the slap and hurried to assure her: "It was a compliment!"

She grinned but narrowed her eyes playfully at him. "Yeah, right!"

Eventually they got back on track, discussing upcoming events and projects they had on the bubble before he left. Although Rodney sometimes got a pensive, faraway look in his eyes, Jenn was confident that, deep down, he believed that the Colonel would come through.

The alternative was not worth thinking about.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

John gazed across the large, gleaming mahogany desk at his father. Patrick Sheppard was considered a handsome man with a powerful presence. Yet none of that mattered to John; at this moment, Patrick Sheppard was simply a bump in the road to John's bid for happiness.

He narrowed his eyes at his father and leaned back in the luxurious leather seat of the couch and twirled the amber liquid in his cut-glass tumbler. He took a sip and privately admitted that his father always had the best liquor; the smooth heat of the single malt lubricated his parched throat as he swallowed.

When John lowered the glass, he surprised a rather speculative look on his father's face, just before the usual mask slid into place.

"Look, dad, it's like I said - it simply won't work."

Patrick Sheppard didn't frown, his well-shaped lips didn't twist in anger or displeasure. No, the ruler of the Sheppard Empire simply stared, basilisk-like, at his second son. His voice was cool and bland when he spoke.

"Am I expected to believe you suddenly decided Frances wasn't - what - good enough for you?"

John hated that tone his father always used when he spoke to him. It was as if, deep down, Patrick Sheppard thought John didn't measure up - wouldn't ever measure up - so nothing John did would ever really surprise him. It was a deadly mix of disappointment and disinterest.

John took a deep breath and stared at the diminished level of liquor in his glass. The delicious liquid now felt like curdled milk in his stomach as he struggled to reinin the deep-seated anger he almost always felt in his father's presence.

Now he looked back at the man wo had sired him and smirked insolently. "Maybe I'm not good enough for Frankie." When Patrick started to respond, John cut him off. "Look, just accept it, okay. The merger of the century isn't gonna happen!"

John surged to his feet and tossed the last of the whiskey to the back of his throat. He strode across to his father's desk and placed the tumbler carefully in the middle of the pristine blotter.

"And by the way, because I do probably owe you an explanation: I'm gay - and so is Frankie."

John didn't even level a smirk at the man he had managed to shock for maybe the first time in his life. He straightened up and with a mocking but perfectly-delivered salute, turned and left the huge office.

His heart was pounding and then he started as he heard his father's irate voice behind him. "Goddammit, boy, get back in here!"

John grinned at the two secretaries, women who had known him from he was in short pants, and shrugged. "Have a good day, ladies; I sure plan to!"

He laughed at their awed silence and stepped into the private elevator. The doors slid shut on the sight of his father's face, purple with rage, making his hazel eyes look muddy. John let out a deep breath and his own mask slipped as he tilted his head back.

Rodney was definitely worth the inevitable fallout.

******

"What the hell did you say to dad?!"

John grinned as he turned from the spectacular view and leaned against the balcony railing. "And hello to you, too, Dave."

Dave stared at his brother and then sighed as he loosened the knot in the his perfect tie. "John, what the hell am I going to do with you?"

John rolled his eyes and turned back to look out across the valley. He was already wishing this stage of things was over. He also wished he'd gone straight over to Rodney's flat and avoided this second confrontation.

"Dave, look, it wasn't going to work, just accept it, please."

Dave looked bewildered as he took a seat in one of the expensive patio chairs some over-priced designer had thought was perfect for John's place.

"Come on, I know you couldn't just have scuttled one of the biggest mergers in history just to piss off the old man so spill!"

John's laugh was bitter. He didn't speak for a moment and then, quietly: "Thing is... I'm in love, Dave."

Dave, unseen, gaped at John's back. "Wh-what? When? Well... then why did you go ahead with the engagement with Frankie? Hold on," he paused and rubbed the back of his head. "Why didn't you say anything, man?!"

John shrugged but didn't speak. Dave reached out a well-shod foot and nudged John's.

When John didn't react, Dave got up and came to lean against the railing with his back to the view so he could stare at John's face. He could always read his little brother well. "What, did you think we wouldn't accept your girlfriend?

"Boy."

Dave blinked. "What?"

John turned his head and stared hard at Dave. "Boy, Dave, boyfriend."

Dave's eyes widened as he looked at John and then he chuckled. "I always knew you played both sides but I had no idea you could get serious about anyone."

John grinned and took one of the chairs set at an angle to Dave's. That way he could look at both his brother and the view. His full lips quirked as he looked at the other man.

"Yeah, yeah, but... it kind of... snuck up on me, y'know. I really love him."

Dave had never really said anything about gay people, whether for or against, at least never in John's hearing. He had always seemed focused on the family business, pleasing his dad and pleasing his wife. The order may be a little mixed up but that was pretty much Dave's life as far as John could see. Politics and social issues weren't a big part of the Sheppard family's life except insofar as it affected business.

"I had never planned to come out at all to you or Dad - he only cares about the company, wealth and status. My screwing around didn't really impact anything but with him pushing this wedding thing... I can't go along with it," John said, his voice quiet but determined.

When racial diversity and gender equality issues had impacted their various companies, they had been dealt with appropriately. No doubt a committee somewhere had worked out how those issues would affect the 'empire' years down the road, was the cynical belief. Regardless, their companies had always come out smelling like roses; judicious use of PR whiz kids made working for the Sheppards seem like the very best thing to do if you were an up-and-comer.

Still, his coming out was going to be a huge deal for some people. John knew that having one of Patrick Shepprd's scions come out as gay would definitely cause a few ripples in the business world.

"Do you know how hard it is to be gay in the military - even these days?" John's voice was bitter. "And don't even mention the Space program."

Dave finally turned fully to look at him and John searched his light blue eyes. All he saw reflected back at him was sympathy and his throat tightened. Suddenly he found himself wrapped in his brother's arms.

They stood like that until John stepped back and took a seat in the living room. Dave sat beside him, relaxed but still looking a little quizzical.

"God, John, I'm sorry. Dad can be such an..." Dave searched for a word to express his frustration yet still be respectful but broke off when he realized John was laughing at him. He shoved him lightly and then continued. "He's so hidebound! Everything his way or not!"

John, feeling more relaxed than he had in hours, smirked. "Actually, Frankie and I worked it out years ago. Actually, she's like me."

Dave straightened up when he worked that out and stared at John. "Wait... but you and Frankie are always hanging all over each other... And does she know about this guy you're in love with?"

John shook his head and then Dave said, "So that's why you laughed like a loon when I said Dad had picked Frankie for you!"

John smirked as he nodded mockingly. "Yeah, Frankie and I had a good laugh over that, I can tell you."

"Damn, what I wouldn't give to have a video of Dad's face today," Dave said as he looked admiringly at his younger brother.

John smirked. "Yeah, you know that cool, condescending way he always talks to me?" Dave nodded. John continued: "Well, I doubt he remained cool after I told him ... and then walked out."

The brothers chuckled again, both picturing their dad losing his famous cool and then Dave asked, truly curious: "Well, I guess this guy must be something else for you to brace Dad like that..."

To his surprise, John got this faintly dreamy look that Dave had never seen before as he replied, "Gosh, Dave, he's not like anybody I've ever known, you know? I knew the minute I met him that he was going to be important to me."

Dave looked at him, humor still lighting his eyes, but he had to ask. "So, who's the lucky guy - am I gonna get to meet him?"

John sobered but nodded. "Yeah, sooner than you think..."

Dave's eyebrows raised and lowered. "Really?"

Then the doorbell pealed...

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Rodney stood outside John's apartment door, bouncing up onto his toes every few seconds. He was a little anxious to hear how John's meeting with his dad had gone but he had no illusions the man would be very happy. After all, it wasn't every day you get told your son is gay as well as lose the millions behind a massive merger.

A smile straightened his lips as the door opened and John's face lit up when he saw Rodney. When he stepped through the door, he slid his big hands around John without allowing him to shut the door and kissed him. John opened immediately to him and Rodney walked him backwards inside and kicked the door closed with one foot.

John chuckled into the kiss and then eased back slowly. "Hey," he murmured, and then pecked Rodney's lips quickly before he stepped back. "Uhm..."

"Wow!"

Rodney jerked around at the sound of the strange voice and his eyes widened at the stranger standing by the patio door.

John grabbed Rodney's hand and then laughed before he said, "Dave, this is Rodney... Rodney McKay."

Rodney's eyes narrowed as he took in the stranger - Dave - from head to toe. Dave, in turn, smiled as he stepped forward and held out his hand.

"That was some kiss you laid on my brother..."

He laughed aloud as Rodney McKay's eyes widened. "Brother? Oh, ah, hi?" He shook the proffered hand and colored.

John laughed and slapped Dave's arm as he passed him on his way to his drinks cart. "Dave, please don't embarrass him anymore!"

Dave and Rodney stared at each other, Dave still with that twinkle in his eye before he invited Rodney to sit. He took a chair, figuring rightly that John would want to sit beside his lover.

"So, Rodney, what do you do?" He chuckled when he heard John groan loudly and dramatically as he fixed their drinks.

"Dave, you're not Dad so no Inquisition!"

Dave widened his eyes in faux innocence. "What? I just want to get to know the guy who inspired you to go up against the great Patrick Sheppard!"

John scoffed as he came over with a beer for Dave and whiskey for himself and Rodney. "Yeah, right, you just want to see Rodney squirm."

Rodney looked from one brother to the other and relaxed slightly. Well, it seemed that one other Sheppard was fairly normal and not another megalomaniac idiot. He cleared his throat and thanked John for the drink before addressing Dave Sheppard.

"Well, in another few weeks I'll have handed over the reigns of my family's firm and gone back to my first love - astrophysics, Dave."

John was looking at him proudly and Rodney flushed again. John added smugly, "We met at that fundraiser last year."

Dave had his eyes narrowed in thought. "So you're Dr. McKay? Hmm, why does that sound familiar?"

John jumped in before Rodney could respond. "Rodney is the foremost scientist in his field, actually."

Dave's eyes widened in sudden recognition. "Oh, right, Sheppard Industries is pretty deeply involved in some of your projects... But, you took a break or something, I heard?"

Rodney looked at John as if waiting for him to answer again. When John simply looked at him, Rodney snarked: "Oh, I'm actually allowed to talk?"

Dave startled them by laughing at them, but Rodney only smirked when John pouted slightly.

"Yes, my sister ran the family business but wanted a break and asked me to step in for a while."

John shoved hs shoulder and stage-whispered, "Tell him the name of the business!" 

Rodney rolled his eyes but looked at Dave who was watching them quizzically. "Alright... it's BonTemps."

Dave's eyebrows were still crooked but they flew up and his jaw dropped when he finally made the connection. "Whoa, the wedding planners?" He frowned. "Hold on, you were going to plan John's wedding?!"

John nodded and Rodney looked down into the amber liquid he twirled absentmindedy. Dave huffed a sigh and shook his head. "Why do I have this weird ... feeling - like I should be apologizing?"

Rodney looked up at him, but John spoke before he could. "No, you didn't know, Dave. I nearly screwed up everything..." and he took Rodney's hand in his.

Rodney smiled softly and bumped his shoulder with his. "Hey, how did it go with your dad today?"

John raised his head and the smile was both adorable and impish. "Damn, I don't know how half of the state didn't hear him yelling, 'Get back in here!'"

He laughed and the others joined in but then Rodney asked, "What do you think he's gonna do?"

John shrugged. "I really don't give a damn, y'know."

Dave, however, looked a little uncomfortable and Rodney looked at him seriously. "Yeah, well, we're going to have to meet with the Robichaud-Hansens."

Rodney nodded even though John looked a little mutinous. Rodney slipped a hand behind his neck and kneaded it soothingly, urging John to look at him.

"It's the grown-up thing to do, plus, if your dad really wanted to hurt us, he could withdraw support of my projects..."

Anger sparked in John's eyes but Dave answered ahead of him. "No, he can't, really." When Rodney looked at him, he explained. "He's not in charge of that division - I am." He laughed as Rodney's eyes widened.

Rodney thought about it and then turned to John. "But, what about your career, John? We've never had a gay astronaut, have we? Well," he interrupted himself. "Not that we know of, anyway."

John smiled at him and leaned himself into Rodney's hand. "I don't care. If I decide to come out and they make a fuss, the PR fallout will make them look bad. B-A-D, bad!"

Both Rodney and Dave laughed but Dave nodded. "Yeah, I'll help there, baby brother. The Sheppards have pumped a lot into those programs over the years."

He looked at the contented little smirk on John's face and couldn't resist. "So, who wears the pants in this relationship?"

At the twin gaping looks they shot at him, he burst out laughing. "Just kidding! Jeeze!"

Rodney looked between the Sheppard brothers and shook his head and then told Dave, "And here I thought you were the 'serious' brother."

Dave grinned but John pouted and smacked Rodney's arm lightly with a "hey!"

Rodney shrugged but eyed John somewhat heatedly. "No, it's just that you're the hot fighter pilot slash astronaut, y'know..."

John subsided with a smirk while Dave rolled his eyes at both of them. "Okay, I think I'll head on out while you two flirt and do," he waved a hand between the two, "whatever."

John and Rodney chuckled as Dave got up to go. Rodney rose as well and extended a hand to Dave who shook it firmly.

Dave looked at him with a mock stern glint in his eye. "Take care of my baby brother," and ignored John's spluttering, "or you won't be able to work anywhere in the US ever again."

He was only half joking but he figured McKay was smart enough to get that.

Rodney nodded and returned the grip. "Understood. Nice meeting you."

"Same here," Dave replied and then turned to leave. John got up to walk him to the door and they chatted while Rodney moved to look at the view from John's balcony.

When John returned and came up to slide his arms around Rodney, they gazed at the scenery for a moment.

Then Rodney bussed a kiss against John's temple before saying, "Your dad's going to raise a stink, isn't he?"

John shrugged, really not caring. "He can always try but I don't give a fuck, really."

He stared into Rodney's bright blue eyes and smiled softly. "I haven't always stood up to him... I preferred to 'deny him the fight', so to speak."

Turning to look out at the cityscape, he paused then turned back to Rodney. "This," and he curved a palm around Rodney's cheek, "you are worth fighting for; never forget that, Rodney."

When they moved together, John sighed into the kiss and then giggled when Rodney's hands slid down to grab his ass. He pulled back to mock glare before saying, "kinky!" because they were out in the open.

Rodney leered at his gorgeous lover and then kissed him again before pulling back. "Let's take this inside then; I want to fuck you through your bed."

John's cock ached as it went from limp to titanium hard in seconds. "Jesus, Rodney!"

Rodney moved towards the patio door and looked back over his shoulder to raise an imperious eyebrow at John as if to say, "Well?"

John grabbed his wrist as he slinked past him into the apartment, his voice husky and turned on as he leaned into Rodney.

"Come on, slowpoke, we've got some fuckin' to do!"

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Rodney watched the way the globes of John's ass moved beneath the fabric of his slacks and grinned. He palmed them as John led him towards the bedroom, barely taking in the massive size of the bedroom until John moved away from him.

"Wow," Rodney breathed as he took in the king-size bed. He looked up to make some snide comment about the amount of activity the bed probably saw and stopped.

John had already toed off his shoes and removed his shirt and, once again, Rodney thought himself the luckiest bastard on the earth. John didn't have a lot of bulk to him but he was, nevertheless, lean and taut. His muscles slid smoothly beneath warm olive-toned skin, generously dusted with fine, dark hair that spread over his distinct pectorals, swirled around his flat, copper-colored nipples and then narrowed to a thin trail down the middle of his six-pack.

Rodney's mouth dried as John's long fingers went to the large buckle of his belt and started to undo it. When they stopped before completing the action, Rodney dragged his eyes up in protest, only to see John smirking at him.

John cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows at Rodney. "I thought this was going to be a joint effort, Rodney?"

Rodney flushed and then shrugged. "What? I thought I was getting a strip show!"

They laughed and then got on with the undressing part of the program. Within a minute, they were both naked and staring at each other as if this were a first time, Rodney mused. Then again, it actually was the first time - in John's flat.

He grinned and then pounced on his smirking lover. They collapsed together on the bed and proceeded to wrestle as they kissed, trying to see who could get the upper hand.

John loved the playful aspect of their lovemaking but he had a promise to collect. He stretched out beneath Rodney's bulkier body and stared up at him as they caught their breath.

Rodney, feeling the change in the energy in the room, lifted up a bit and gazed down at John. When the usual green of his lover's eyes seemed to swirl to gold, Rodney lowered his head to one nipple and tugged lightly on it with his teeth.

John gasped and pushed his chest out for more of the same and Rodney obliged. Soon John was squirming and holding back little gasps as Rodney played his body like a maestro, the fingers of one hand tweaking the other nipple.

Then, not wanting John to get over sensitive there, he dragged his mouth down the silky treasure trail and John arced up in anticipation, his breath coming shorter. "Aah, Rodney..."

Rodney's eyes flickered up to take in the look on John's face which was flushed and gleaming with sweat already. Rodney buried his nose in the coarser hair below John's navel and then, after a slight pause in which he caught John's eyes, he brushed his cheek against John's turgid cock.

He grinned to himself when John gasped and squirmed before he dropped one hand to Rodney's head. Rodney had no intention of delaying anything so wasted no time in slipping his mouth around the head of the waiting cock.

"Rodney! Ugh!"

Rodney loved that John was so verbal; it made one know what he enjoyed best.

Breathing through his nose, he swallowed John down in one long, slow glide before easing back up. He loved giving blowjobs and was good at it. From the way John was nearly thrashing about, Rodney was pretty sure he thought Rodney was good, too.

After a few minutes of blowing John's mind (and he smirked internally at the pun) he sat back on his heels and worked the thick cock luxuriously with one hand while the other stroked John's stomach.

John was watching him through slitted eyes and Rodney enjoyed the way he couldn't seem to keep his hips still. "Supplies?"

His cock jerked as John licked his lips, the lower one of which was slightly puffy because he had been biting it.

"Over ... there," John gasped as he flung one hand out towards the bedside table to his left.

Rodney grinned as he switched to his left hand and continued to work John's cock as he reached towards the drawer with his left. He smirked at John. "What - I can multi-task, y'know."

John rolled his eyes as Rodney retrieved the things and then bit his lip in anticipation as Rodney flipped open the tube of lube and coated two of his fingers.

Rodney leaned forward and then gasped as John, in one of the sexiest, most fluid moves, laid back and drew his legs up to his chest. The move exposed him fully to Rodney's avid gaze and he slid his lubed up fingers to the tender ring of muscles waiting there.

"God, John - you're so...!"

If he'd looked he would have seen color flow across John's face but Rodney was too busy sinking is fingers into the snug, deliciously hot channel. Soon two fingers became three and then he was hastily sliding on a condom on his nearly purple cock and slicking it up.

He lined himself up with John and then, looking up to gaze deep into the beloved eyes, asked, "Ready?"

John pulled in a deep breath and, grasping behind his knees, gritted out: "Been ready!"

With a nearly breathless chuckle, Rodney flashed him a grin and then sank into the tight, waiting heat.

"Oh my God," Rodney breathed and John bit back a cry as Rodney continued driving forward until he was pressed up against John. He drew in deep breaths as Rodney held still for long seconds.

"Uh, Rodney... Oh, God, move!"

Rodney bowed his head and, with another gasp, pulled back slowly, slowly until only the head was left inside - and then powered back down.

John threw his head back and wailed as Rodney did fuck him through the mattress - as promised. He let go of his legs, slid down further into the bed, and wrapped his long, muscular legs around Rodney's hips as he worked him.

Sweat flew off of Rodney and his eyes got that faraway look as he plunged into John. Soon he blinked, though, and stared at John as his lover started muttering, a sure sign that he was on the edge and about to fall over.

Rodney grinned in triumph and straightened slightly so he could get one hand on John's cock which was twitching sporadically now.

"Yes, Rodney, oh, yessss!"

John's body suddenly clenched and then he threw his head back again and as his ass clamped down almost painfully on Rodney, he came. Hot fluid flowed over Rodney's hand as it whipped up and down the heated flesh.

Rodney thought John climaxing was the sexiest thing he would ever see and a small, mean part of him hated anyone wo had ever had the privilege of seeing that.

Within seconds of John easing back and gasping in great gulps of air, Rodney's hips stuttered and his eyes slammed shut, his head went back - and he came, spouting into the condom. He barely felt John's hands stroking his back and shoulders, so far gone was he.

Finally, almost painfully, he drew himself up and then gazed down into John's sated face. He smiled at the loving look in the drowsy eyes and then leaned in for a languid kiss.

When they pulled back, John nuzzled his face against Rodney's and then smiled at him. "I will always take you at your word."

They chuckled breathlessly and then Rodney withdrew gently and took care of the condom. He yawned widely and then slid onto the bed beside John. "I think I could sleep for a week..." he said before yawning again.

John rolled onto his side and smoothed a hand over Rodney's chest. "Well, sleep a little now and then later we head out onto the town."

Rodney, stroking the nape of John's neck, looked at him seriously. "What - you want to out yourself tonight?"

John shrugged one shoulder. "Don't you think it's a good idea?"

There was a pause and then Rodney spoke, his voice thoughtful: "Well, it's just that this doesn't only affect you, does it. I mean, apart from your dad - whom I could care less about - there's your friend, Frankie, and her family. Don't you think you should give her a heads up?"

John settled his head on Rodney's chest but continued to caress it. He thought for a while and then nodded. "Yeah, you're right_" and a yawn cut him off. "When we wake up, I'll give her a call and she can meet us somewhere."

Rodney, surprised by how fast John wanted to move, pulled back his head so he could see John's face better. "Uh, aren't you moving a little fast?"

John got up on one elbow and quirked an eyebrow at him. "Fast? Whatever happened to 'strike while the iron's hot'?"

He grinned when Rodney couldn't hold back a grin. "Okay," Rodney sighed. "I'd love to get the awkward stuff out of the way as soon as possible anyway."

John snuggled down back and yawned. "Yeah, I want to show you off, too. Not that she doesn't already know you but now she'll know you're the one who's keeping me well fucked."

Rodney gaped down at the top of his head and then burst out laughing. Oh, hell, he would never have a dull day with this one, he realized, and when his laughter tapered off he drifted into sleep.

******

Rodney toweled off slowly as he listened to John talking on the phone in the bedroom. The banter between him and Frankie was funny, even though Rodney could only hear John's side.

"No, I did not just wake up from an afternoon delight!"

...

"Okay, yes, you would know, you little voyeur."

...

"Yes, alright, jeeze! You can watch next time but only if he says yes, okay?"

...

"The usual place ... And it's kinda good news."

...

"Uh huh, eight o'clock."

...

"See ya, then... Love ya."

Rodney stepped into the bedroom just as John hung up and he slid up behind him to drop a kiss on one slender but muscular shoulder.

"You think she's heard anything yet?"

John turned and stepped into his arms. "Nah. Knowing Frankie, she would have called me as soon as she heard."

Rodney released him to get back into his clothes. They were going to swing by his place so he could change into something a little dressier. John had said it wouldn't be necessary, he was fine in what he'd been wearing, but Rodney felt he needed the armor of good-looking clothes. Wherever John was taking him, he just knew he would be surrounded by the famous, rich and beautiful: no way would he want to look like John was guilty of slumming.

"Okay. So, where exactly is 'the usual place'," he asked as he found his shoes and stepped into them. 

John slid his wallet into his back pocket, took up his keys and headed out to the living room as he smirked, "Somewhere you'll love, trust me."

Rodney made a scoffing sound and rolled his eyes as he followed him out. "As long as there's no thumping bass and strobing lights, please!"

John locked up after them and then slid a quick hand down Rodney's backside as they strolled to the elevators. "I know you, lover; I wouldn't torture you like that."

They got in when it came and after John stole a kiss, he leaned against Rodney and finished, "Besides, it has to be somewhere where we can hear ourselves talk."

They chatted about a million different things as Rodney drove them over to his place and while John entertained himself playing a game on Rodney's powerful laptop, Rodney changed.

Ten minutes later, he stepped out of the bedroom and when John looked up his jaw fell and he barely stopped himself from gaping. Regret for all the times he'd decided against them going out on the town because he wanted to maintain a silly charade swept through him.

Rodney looked amazing.

John didn't know the names of designers but he knew classy clothes when he saw them. He himself was wearing a black linen shirt with a soft gleam to it that screamed high-end. It was designed to be worn with the cuffs rolled up to show off his aviator watch on one wrist and a black leather band on the other. He teamed it with tight suede jeans tucked into black leather biker boots. He knew he looked hot and would draw the attention of both guys and girls tonight.

Rodney was dressed in a more low-key manner but, wow! John got up and went over to where he had stopped and ran a hand down the front of his shirt.

"Rodney," he said, his voice husky, "wow, you clean up real nice!"

He grinned as faint color washed his lover's cheeks. Rodney shrugged and tried to look as if the compliment hadn't thrown him. "Well, Keller thought my wardrobe needed to reflect my 'status' when I attend functions."

John leaned back a little to run his eyes hungrily up and down Rodney's body. "Well, remind me to thank her, okay?"

Rodney's shirt was almost as casual in appearance as John's as it was worn open at the neck. However, the heavy silk was tailored in such a way that it emphasized the breadth of Rodney's shoulders and was slimming across the stomach area. What John loved, too, was that the deep eggplant color made the shirt elegant as well as it seemed to make Rodney's skin glow.

In a move that was romantic in its subtlety, Rodney had chosen a pair of black linen trousers that could have been a match for John's shirt. He grinned as he noted this and then he stepped around Rodney to get a complete picture.

When he came back around in front of Rodney, John had a happy little grin. Rodney looked at him suspiciously and mutterd, "What?"

John shook his head and laughed. "Have I ever told you you have a spectacular ass?"

Rodney's eyes widened and he sputtered, "No!"

John rolled his eyes, grabbed his arm and made for the front door. "Well, you have! Come on, Frankie is gonna be wondering what's keeping us."

On the drive over - he was behind the wheel because the destination was still a surprise - he chuckled every time Rodney gave him a look as if he thought John was a little touched in the head. After a while, though, Rodney's mind wandered to Frankie and the rest of the night. He could only hope that, despite the fact that she wasn't in love with John, she hadn't been invested in what would have been a pretty cool marriage of convenience. Rodney was a bit of a cynic so he didn't ever put much trust in people and their motives. With a soundless sigh, he sat back to enjoy the drive, with a last wish that the night would go well.

TBC

...


	14. Chapter 14

John grinned at Rodney's gobsmacked look as he tossed his car keys to the parking valet. He grabbed Rodney's hand as they were greeted by the stunning blonde with the extremely augmented breasts.

"Hi, and welcome to Quantum! Do you have a reservation?"

Rodney was busy looking around, absorbing the breathtaking architecture of the city's newest nightspot. He stumbled along, his wrist in Sheppard's hand, and his head turned from left to right as he gaped at all the otherworldly designs gracing the two-storey atrium of the restaurant section.

"Oh. My. God!"

John spun around and let out a fake overly dramatic gasp. "He speaks!"

The waiter who had been showing them to their table hid a snigger as Rodney glared at John.

"Well, I'm allowed, I think." Rodney scoffed and then looked around, wide-eyed as he took a seat. "This place is fantastic."

As the waiter handed them iPads which apparently had the menus as well as allowed one to order directly from the restaurants kitchen and wine cellar, he expounded a bit on the award-winning building.

"This is the only restaurant to get a six-star rating and to have the services of three Michelin-rated chefs." He pointed at an icon on the main screen of Rodney's iPad. "Here you can find out everything you want to know."

Rodney thanked him dazedly and John grinned at the waiter who nodded and bade them enjoy their evening.

John watched the excited gleam in Rodney's eyes with an air of indulgence that would have embarrassed Rodney had he seen it. Suddenly John looked up and then raised a hand in greeting. Seconds later, Frankie was standing by their table.

Rodney, not having noticed the arrival, was still engrossed in the iPad. "John, oh my God, look at this!"

He suddenly sensed a presence and looked up into Francis Robichaud-Hansen's wide eyes. John, who had stood up at her arrival, waved a hand but only got out, "uh".

Rodney got to his feet and managed to greet Frankie properly as the waiter pulled out her chair and she sat, still gaping at Rodney.

Finally, when they were all seated and she'd received her iPad, she raised her eyebrows enquiringly at John.

"So, you said you had kinda good news...?" and she turned puzzled eyes on Rodney before looking back at John.

John had been tapping at his screen and now he looked at his friend and soon-to-be ex-fiancée with a faint smile.

"Frankie, you know I care for you, right? Ever since we played doctor, oh, so many years ago?"

Frankie colored quite fetchingly and threw an admonishing look at John before sliding a glance over at Rodney, who was also quite red.

"JP!"

She was interrupted as a waiter appeared with a bottle of Champagne that he proceeded to open and pour into their waiting flutes. He excused himself and left, by which time John had handed them their glasses and then he raised his.

"Frankie, we knew this was crazy and I gotta confess I was in denial." He paused as Frankie looked at him with her lips quirked and Rodney winced as if in pain. John grinned almost maniacally and reached for Rodney's hand before continuing. "Babe, this is the man I love. It's Rodney."

Frankie stared at him, took a sip of the really excellent wine, placed the glass carefully on the table and then turned to Rodney.

"Dr. McKay," and he tensed, his blue eyes wide as he waited, "you actually want this idiot?"

There was silence and then "Hey!" which both Rodney and Frankie ignored.

Frankie's lips quirked into a lovely smile as she watched Rodney's brain trying to get over the fact that a) she was not going to play the scorned woman and, b) she'd just called the man he loved enough to give up an 'idiot'.

He took a sip of the refreshingly crisp wine and then looked at her seriously.

"Frankie - uh, may I call you 'Frankie'?" At her nod he continued. "Yes, I do have some feeling for him - excellent arm candy, right?"

They held back giggles as John sputtered and then he finished: "He actually thought he could go through with it because he didn't know at the time that he was in love with me."

The incredulous silence that followed was broken after nearly half a minute by a sniffle. John and Rodney looked in surprise to see Frankie's face red and tears swimming in her eyes. John let out an exclamation and put a gentle hand on hers but she shook her head and then smiled.

"I'm okay, I'm okay, it's just," and she drew in a sniff and then grinned at Rodney and then John. "You are so lucky, you bastard."

John and Rodney exchanged glances and then turned back to her.

She rolled her eyes and then huffed. "Real love isn't something you fool around with, dummy! Why the hell did you go through with this? You should just have told your father to go to hell!"

John's eyebrows lowered and then he dropped his eyes to the tabletop. He shrugged before answering. "Yeah, okay, it was dumb but, it's just like Rodney said, Frankie - I didn't realize yet that I ... loved him."

It was Frankie's turn to cover his hand and she squeezed it as she told him, "No matter what, I'll be on your side when the shit hits the fan, okay?"

John laughed out loud and Rodney smiled as she nodded emphatically. "Okay, tiger, we've got that covered," and he told her about coming clean to his father.

"And you left his office alive?!"

The atmosphere became festive as they ordered and then ate the first-class food that was prepared to order. They finished a second bottle of Champagne and then Frankie decided that they really ought to go dancing.

Rodney watched the longtime friends as they strolled arm-in-arm towards the entrance of the nightclub and shook his head. When did my life turn upside down, he wondered as he stepped inside the futuristic ambience of the club, and felt his spirits rise.

John turned to him, one arm still around Frankie, and drew him into a quick kiss. Rodney knew John was slightly buzzed when the other man, after kissing him, yelled: "I love you - let's dance!"

He couldn't hold back the laughter and he followed John onto the dance floor and slid his arms around the slender, undulating body.

"I love you, too!" Rodney spoke just loud enough for John to hear over the music but when Frankie turned and grinned at him, he knew she'd heard, too.

Rodney laughed, admitted to himself that the laser lights were way cooler than a disco ball and gave himself to the night and the sure knowledge that, whatever happened, John Sheppard was his.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has maybe one or two more chapters to go folks but I feel it's coming to a natural conclusion. Hope you've all been enjoying it so far.


	15. Chapter 15

John stared at the man who had inadvertently turned his world around and shook his head. His lips quirked to the side because it wouldn't do to bust a gut, laughing at the way Rodney was squared off against the great Patrick Sheppard, with Dave hovering like a nervous referee.

He decided to step in before punches started to fly so he put two fingers to his lips and blew.

When the yelling stopped abruptly, John glared at both men and then held up a quick hand to forestall anything Rodney was about to say. He turned to his father and spoke seriously.

"Dad, you're being an ass!" His father gasped in outrage but John turned to Rodney and narrowed his eyes. "And you're being just as bad!"

Rodney subsided and John knew he would have to make up later for the faint hurt in the blue eyes.

"Look, it would be great if the people I care about actually could be civil to each other - or at least be in the same room without a prelude to World War 3!"

He took a deep breath because he was a getting a little shrill at the end there. He strolled over to the antique sideboard and fixed himself a drink without offering any to the others.

When he took a seat beside Rodney who had subsided onto one of the love seats, he sighed and then continued. "Dad, I don't care if you disown me. I never wanted your money and I sure as hell don't want any part of your business."

Patrick's face reddened and he ground his teeth. "'Your' business?! This is a family business - your name is on it and you, whether you like it or not, are a part of its legacy. You can't go around dragging the Sheppard name through the mud!"

Dave stepped in before John could respond. "Come on, dad, take it easy. This isn't ten or twenty years ago. I, for one, don't give a damn what anyone says about us."

Patrick turned on him with a snarl. "You don't give a damn? What, are you going to 'come out' now, too?"

John intervened. "Dad, stop it! Do not say anything you will regret."

Dave shook his head, threw his hands up and went to get himself a drink, raising an eyebrow at Rodney as he lifted a tumbler. When Rodney nodded, Dave plopped two ice cubes in and then poured a couple fingers after. He fixed his and then gave Rodney his glass.

John watched his father watching them and sighed. He never could please the old man and wasn't about to start now, but this was ridiculous.

"Okay, dad, you win."

Everyone looked at him with wide eyes but John finished his drink and got up to return the glass to the sideboard. Someone sputtered "what?" but John stared hardly at his father.

Holding his arms out, palms out, he told the man, "You win, you've finally got me out."

"John!" That was Dave - and John looked at him with a wry smile.

"Dave, I'll still stay in touch with you; in fact, you're going to be my best man - if Rodney will have me."

There was silence for a second before "Yes, you clown, of course I'll have you!"

John had his arms full of his ecstatic lover who planted a big one on him right there, and Dave laughed out loud. He clapped both men on the back and when the joking around died down, they realized Patrick Sheppard had left the room.

Dave sighed but he grinned at John. "Don't worry about him. We're not little kids to run scared because 'Daddy' doesn't approve. And, yes, I'll be your best man!"

The three men chatted briefly before John started pushing Rodney toward the door. They just reached it when it opened and Patrick's butler appeared. He looked down his nose, sniffed and informed them darkly, "Mr. Sheppard has instructed that neither of you is to be allowed back within this house."

This butler had been a recent hire so neither Dave nor John was very familiar with him but they never liked him. Whenever they came to the house they would always joke about the poker up his backside. Now, though, his attitude more than his words thoroughly pissed John off.

Pulling himself up to his six-foot-plus height, he sneered down at the man. "'Mr. Sheppard' won't always be around, Kavanaugh." When the man paled, John added, "Watch yourself."

John had no intention of menacing the man but yanking his chain would be fun. He'd sized Kavanaugh up as the kind of person who latched on to the 'big dog' and was happiest as a lackey. No doubt he would spend a lot of time worrying what John was up to.

They marched down the wide marble steps of the mini-mansion and got into their cars, Rodney slipping in to John's passenger seat.

After a few more minutes of wrapping up their plans to meet for dinner, John sped off down the long, tree-lined driveway, wrapping one hand around Rodney's.

Rodney was unusually quiet nice John had yelled at him and his dad in the library and John didn't like that.

"Hey, you okay?"

Rodney squinted at him and then smirked. "Of course, I'm okay."

"Well, I'm sorry for back there..."

"No, I understand," Rodney replied. "We really weren't getting anywhere with all the yelling and screaming, I know."

They drove in silence and then Rodney asked, "Do you think getting married will hurt your career?"

John shrugged. "You know, I don't know if I care all that much." When Rodney's head whipped around, his eyes wide, John shrugged again. "Look, if it came to choosing between going into Space or marrying you, I'd be an idiot to choose Space."

Rodney stared at him. "Most people would think you're an idiot for choosing me over Space!"

John actually laughed out loud at the look on Rodney's face. He squeezed the hand he was still holding. "Yeah? Well, those people aren't in love with the great Rodney McKay, Ph.D., Ph.D., are they?"

The rest of the drive back to the city and Rodney's flat was accomplished with them teasing each other about being Dr. Rodney McKay Sheppard and Colonel John Sheppard McKay and variations thereof.

******

Dinner with Dave, his wife, Frankie and a friend went off beautifully. As a preliminary PR stunt, with the help of Keller, the paparazzi got excellent photos of the three couples enjoying a night out, wining and dining at the beautiful restaurant. The terrace setting was Keller's idea and Rodney had to admit it was perfect.

John looked fantastic in his John Ford tux and both Rodney and Dave were handsome in Armani. The three women, especially Frankie's busty 'friend' glowed in jewel-toned gowns that would photograph well.

Long-time acquaintances of the Sheppards stopped by throughout the evening and it was all urbane and sophisticated. When, near the end, one older lady asked John if it was a special occasion, he said just loud enough for diners at the nearest table to hear, that yes, it was his fiancé's birthday.

The lady, having seen his engagement photos in the paper, turned to Frankie to congratulate her when she stuttered to a halt.

John had placed a hand on Rodney's, which had been resting on the table, and with a flustered, "Oh, my," she hurried back to her own table, her head dipping as she spoke hurriedly to her companion.

John eyed her and then leaned forward to speak in a fake hush: "Well, if the photos tomorrow don't do it, Dina Melford's gossip circle will!"

Everyone laughed and Frankie rapped him smartly on the wrist. "JP, that was naughty."

He shrugged as he took a sip of his wine. "What, it's gonna get out 'cos we're not keeping it secret!"

Rodney admired the twinkle in his green eyes and he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, get it out there so whoever is gonna have a fit can get on with it."

They wrapped up the evening with a truly decadent triple chocolate dessert for Rodney's birthday cake. By the time Rodney's moans died away with the last delicious morsel, John was half hard. The others didn't seem to notice his discomfort, for which he was grateful, but he needed to get Rodney to a bed ASAP.

As they stood out front, waiting for their vehicles, Dave sidled up to John and tugged at his arm to get his attention. With one arm still around Rodney, John inclined his head to listen to his brother.

With a huff of laughter, Dave muttered: "Bro, never let him eat cake in public ever!"

As he walked away with his wife, he laughed at the shocked look he'd left on his brother's face. Seriously, Rodney was going to be a hazard to John's blood pressure if he kept that up. 

******

Rodney groaned as John slammed him up against the door, one large hand grasping the noticeable bulge in Rodney's pants.

"John," he gasped as his hips hitched forward and he tilted his head back some more so John could feast more on the sensitive skin of his neck.

John eased back and gazed at the delicious pink color that flooded Rodney's face. He drew a deep breath and then latched onto his lover's lips, enjoying their succulent feel.

"Let's get into bed, babe. The way you eat cake is really obscene!" He grinned down into the hazy blue eyes as Rodney tried hard to look outraged.

"You're just always horny, that's what!" He smirked as he watched John lick his lips.

Sex with John was the best thing in his life - except for the knowledge that the air force's sexiest flyboy loved him. He stepped back, slid his hand down to John's, and hauled him in the direction of the bedroom.

Within minutes they were both stripped down to skin and John was devouring Rodney with mouth and hands.

When he finally slid home, he caught his breath at the mind-blowing sensation of his cock cradled inside Rodney. He stopped and stared then spoke.

"I don't think anything - even flying - can compare to this, right now," and grinned at how the color in Rodney's face deepened.

Rodney, though, rolled his eyes and muttered, "I never would have taken you for a sap!"

John laughed out loud and then, in a deeper than normal tone, replied: "Your ass is magic, babe - magic."

It was Rodney's turn to laugh and John gave him just one minute before he eased out - and then sank back into the delicious heat. Then he set up a brisk pace, pushing Rodney's legs up almost to his chest, and fucked him hard.

Every inward stroke elicited a grunt from the scientist and John grinned down at him. Finally, when Rodney threw his head back, John grabbed his cock and stripped it rapidly.

Rodney was in ecstasy and John, knowing that he was on the brink, buckled down and, within minutes, they were both yelling loudly. Come, hot and creamy, eased the way between them and John slammed in once, twice and then a final time, his eyes shut tight.

"Love you, love you...," someone murmured and honestly, John couldn't tell which of them said it.

Eventually he slumped down onto Rodney's broad, damp chest and John grinned, fully satisfied.

When he felt Rodney's long fingers stroking his back, he lifted his head and gazed into his flushed face.

"Best day ever..."

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Text

"Uncle Meredith!"

Rodney winced at the sound of Madison's shrill voice. He narrowed his eyes at John who had just barely stifled a snort of amusement.

"It's a family name, okay!" He was not impressed with John's faux, innocent, 'who, me?' expression. "If you weren't looking so hot, I would thump you!"

John laughed, slid an arm around Rodney's waist, and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "Hey, that's spousal abuse, y'know!"

Rodney's light chuckle made John smile, and Rodney retorted: "We're not spouses yet, flyboy."

They looked at each other with big grins and then chuckled.

"Hey, what's so funny, boys?"

They turned to look at Jeannie who had strolled up to them with Madison.

She looked beautiful in a floral dress with a lacy shrug over her shoulders. Madison was wearing a mini version of it and both blonde, curly heads gleamed in the fall sunshine. John thought they both looked lovely and he leaned into her for a hug.

When he pulled back, Madison pouted up at him. "Me, too, Uncle John!"

The three adults chuckled and John obliged his soon-to-be niece. When Madison planted a big kiss on his cheek, Rodney rolled his eyes and muttered 'flirt!'

Keller came up to them with the information that the Unitarian Minister was ready to begin the ceremony and, suddenly, John's stomach clenched. When he looked at his fiancé, he realized that Rodney had had a similar reaction and he smiled reassuringly at him.

"It's okay, I'm just as nervous, too."

He dropped a light kiss on Rodney's adorably slanted mouth and ignored the 'awws' that followed.

"Come on, I'm dying to make an honest man of you."

He held in the laughter at the look Rodney gave him, and when the string quartet that Keller had engaged started up, he and Rodney moved in dignified manner down the long white runner. The lush and vibrantly green garden of the beautiful resort with its ocean view was the perfect setting for this expression of their love and he was grateful for Jennifer for suggesting it.

She had also engaged an florist who specialized in gay-sensitive decor and all the guests seemed bowled over by the rainbow-hued rose bouquets adorning the space. It was breathtaking and she assured them that the photographs would turn out beautifully.

She was the one responsible for the stunning, bespoke suits they were both wearing, but it was Jeannie who had taken it upon herself to make the huge, white five-tier wedding cake. She'd had a ball making the wedding topper that was a miniature of both John and Rodney in their tuxedoes. It really was beautifully done. Rodney only hoped that it wasn't a vegetarian wedding cake!

Rodney took a settling breath as the minister started but he calmed down fairly quickly, thanks in part to the way John squeezed his hand gently. At one point he took a quick, surreptitious look over his shoulder at their guests and he turned back with a little smile.

Radek was sitting in the front row beside Jeannie's husband, Kaleb, and he'd given Rodney a little thumbs up and a big grin when their eyes met.

The guest list wasn't very long, mostly consisting of the employees of BonTemps, a few scientists and and some of John's Air Force buddies. Rodney had been somewhat surprised that any of them had actually made it there but they did, and were sitting on John's 'side', along with Dave and his family. Frankie was present, also, with her girlfriend and a few of her and John's circle of friends.

As the minister droned on, Rodney thought about how strange life was. He'd never though that marriage was in his future - but here he was, marrying the most fascinating man he'd ever met. He flashed a quick look at John and thought briefly that maybe John should have worn his dress blues. He'd only ever seen him in it in a photo at John's flat. Still, John looked eminently doable in the Armani tuxedo which fit his slender body like a glove. Yum!

Rodney's attention flew back to the minister when he realized they'd reached the vows. He hadn't wanted them to write their own vows but both Jennifer and Jeannie had outvoted them. Why they'd had any say in the matter, Rodney still couldn't figure it out. Anyway, John was going first as his name came first in the alphabet. Rodney took another deep breath and stared at his gorgeous fiancé.

John cleared his throat, flicked a quick look at the guests and then looked at Rodney.

"Okay - this is gonna be short because I'm not one for long speeches... I'll leave that to Rodney." Cue the surprised laughter.

"When I met Rodney, I was hooked. I don't think I know anyone else with as high an IQ as his. Well, maybe Radek."

Laughter again, plus wide, outraged eyes from Rodney. John chuckled. "Just kidding!"

He smiled softly at Rodney. "It was just a short time after that I realized that I wanted more than just casual with you, Rodney. Unfortunately, with my situation - being in the Air Force - I figured I couldn't have my lifelong dream - as well as my newest dream."

Rodney's eyes watered and, from the sound of a few sniffles behind them, his weren't the only ones.

"I'm immensely grateful that I got a metaphorical slap upside the head when I realized I could eat my cake and have it, too!" He laughed when Rodney chuckled at that. "I love you, Rodney, and though some might question it, they don't matter a damn!"

With that he pressed a soft kiss on his lover's lips, with the sound of soft applause drowning out the minister clearing his throat.

Rodney beamed at him, his bright blue eyes rivaling the color of the sky.

"Well, I think it's more than clear that I really am the smartest man in the galaxy - because I said 'yes'!"

The laughter was louder this time and John grinned even as he rolled his eyes.

When the guests quieted down, Rodney continued. "And even though I might be known for being more wordy than you, I'm anxious to get on with the cake-cutting and dancing, okay!"

John grinned at the mischievous look on Rodney's face.

"So, if anyone within a light year of this city doesn't know this as yet - I love you, John, and promise to spend all my days - and nights - making you happy... and God help anyone who gets in the way of that!"

He grabbed John and planted a big one on him to the sound of loud cheers and laughter. Finally, the long-suffering minister brought their attention back to the job at hand and, with a gleam in his eyes, concluded the ceremony.

"And so, with the power invested in me by the State of California - I happily pronounce that you ... are married!"

The guests surged to their feet as John and Rodney hugged ecstatically. Suddenly there were skinny little arms wrapped around both their legs and they looked down to see Madison hugging them with all her strength.

"Yeah, Uncle Mer, Uncle John - you just got married!"

John laughed along with her, ruffled her blonde curls and then, when she demanded "kiss, kiss!", he pressed a light one to Rodney's flushed cheek.

The guests surged forward to congratulate them and it was quite a crush.

Jennifer and Jeannie tried to keep things on track but the atmosphere was pretty loud and joyous. Radek slapped Rodney on his back as he wished them well, just as Dave did the same to John. The BonTemps staff got in their well wishes, too, and so did John's buddies.

"Rodney... John."

They turned to see Elizabeth and a few of the other women from BonTemps smiling softly at them. Rodney happily returned the hugs and John shyly accepted their well wishes.

Soon it was time to chow down and there was enough and such a variety to satisfy every palate. Jennifer had outdone herself and she was rightfully proud at the guests reactions.

Finally, she called up John and Rodney to get on with the most important part of the evening - the cake-cutting - and Rodney especially was more than happy to oblige.

As the elegant, crystal-handled cake knives were positioned in the gleaming white-iced cake, Rodney muttered so only John could hear: "Please, not vegetarian!" whereupon John threw him a puzzled look.

Jeannie, whose table was closest to the cake table, grinned at her brother. "Just cut the cake, Rodney!" as the guests chuckled.

As the newlyweds plunged the knives into the cake at the guests' vociferous encouragement, Madison chuckled loudly. Grown-ups were funny, especially her Uncle Mer.

As John and Rodney eased out the first slice onto the cut crystal plate, they inhaled deeply of the rich, triple chocolate fudge scent.

"Mmm-hmm!"

Laughter greeted Rodney's reaction to the sight and scent of the decadent cake and his cheeks colored slightly. He and John continued with the old tradition of feeding each other pieces of the slice but thankfully without the ridiculous smearing that some people indulged in.

Bearing in mind Dave's admonition regarding Rodney eating cake in public, John drew his husband away to allow the wait staff to cut and serve the cake to their guests.

"Don't forget I'm to get the top layer!"

The girl slicing up the cake nodded at Rodney with a big grin on her face. Most people responded like that to wedding cake so it wasn't that unusual.

John drew him away to go and personally thank everyone for honoring them with their presence. His fellow pilots were a pretty okay bunch and they were loud and just on the verge of boisterous.

"The bar is open, guys, but just in case, taxis will be available after your second drink."

They were pretty happy with that and slapped John heartily on the back for his consideration.

Frankie and their friends were a pretty ribald bunch and Rodney was very pink by the time they moved on from their table.

After speaking with the other folks, friends, family and co-workers, John and Rodney were informed that they weren't going to get out of their first dance.

The lowering evening light was augmented by beautiful lanterns that hung from the trees and the atmosphere was soft and romantic.

Keller had chosen a band to play for the dance portion of the evening. When Rodney and John moved to the softly-lit dance floor, the lead singer from the band took the microphone and started to sing - and once again there were awws.

John and Rodney moved into each other's arms and smiled as the lyrics of Brad Paisley's 'Then' wafted over them.

Appreciative applause didn't distract the newlyweds and they spent the entire dance gazing into each other's eyes. At the end, Jon's lips rested lightly on Rodney's. Then other couples joined them as the band segued into more songs.

John led Rodney back to their table where Rodney sat with John's arms around him while they drank the chilled Veuve Clicquot. Rodney finished up his slice of the delicious cake with the last of his wine, and then smiled happily at his husband.

John gazed at the beaming face so close to his and took Rodney's left hand in his. "You know, I'm not a fan of jewelry but our rings are kick-ass!"

Rodney smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm glad we chose them ourselves."

He looked admiringly at the three small diamonds in the flattened top of the brushed metal ring with pride. If it had been left to Jeannie and Keller, they would have been in the jewelry store with them but he'd scotched that plan.

Rodney turned his head to smile proudly at John and was greeted with a kiss. When they pulled back, they saw that several of their guests were smiling at them. Rodney, not usually a fan of PDAs, smiled softly back at them and then relaxed into John's arms once more.

No one and nothing was going to dampen his joy in this most important occasion and with that thought, he accepted the refill of his wine glass from a passing waiter. He lifted it and gazed into the beloved hazel eyes so close to his and murmured, "Forever..."

John's reply was perfect - "And a day..."

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, they're hitched, finally! Thank you all so much for staying with this ride, folks, despite my less-than-perfect run. Enjoy the last installment, please.


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